Tag: 5 stars

The Bedlam Stacks by Natasha Pulley

Title: The Bedlam Stacks
Author: Natasha Pulley
Pub. Date: 1-Aug-2017
Rating: 5 Stars

The Bedlam Stacks is the first book I have read by Natasha Pulley. It is one of those books that gets under your skin. It is a slow build up and then you reach a point that you must finish reading or die trying. When the end comes you just let out a breath you did not even know you were holding. I know it is only March, but I suspect this book will end up being one of my favorites this year.

The story is about Merrick Tremayne who is currently at home in Cornwall convalescing after a tragic accident that almost cost him his leg. He has been contemplating what jobs a cripple can do and his current prospects don’t look so good. When Merrick starts seeing a garden statue move and a tree explode his brother thinks Merrick might be going mad like their mother. To Merrick’s dismay his brother is now insisting he take a position as a parson or be committed. Fortunately for Merrick, Clem, an old friend, drops by and convinces Merrick that he is well enough to make a journey with him to Peru for the East India Company, Merrick’s employer before his accident. Continue reading “The Bedlam Stacks by Natasha Pulley”

The Life of Nuzzels: Nuzzels the Nosey Skunk by Finis T. Jones

Title: The Life of Nuzzels: Nuzzels the Nosey Skunk
Author: Finis T. Jones
Pub Date: 23-Mar-2016
Rating: 5 Stars

Nuzzles is a young skunk. Like most youngsters he is sometimes way too curious for his own good. He wants to explore outside of the family den despite his mother’s warning of danger. One day he decides to ignore the warnings of his mother and go venture out of the den. He tries to persuade his siblings to join him but to no avail. He meets other creatures of the forest and makes some friends along the way. Unfortunately, he becomes lost and ends up fleeing from danger. What ensues is way more adventure than he expected. We all know he should have listened to his mother!

This is a very entertaining story and is appropriate for ages 3 to 7 years old. For the younger ages it will be necessary for an adult to read. Older children should be able to read themselves with little to no assistance. There are several pages (35 total) with a lot of text; therefore, readers under age 3 may not have the attention span necessary to make it through the whole story. In addition, the illustrations are well done and fit the story and age of reader nicely.

I liked that the story can be used to teach. Not only will children learn a couple of lessons from the story, the story is a great opportunity to discuss nature and how the different animals live. For example, I wanted to know what you called a young skunk. It is a kit! I find my grandkids love to learn and by using a good story like this you can make it fun. I am sure this is a story they will want to read again and again.

Thank you to the author for providing me with a copy to review.

The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman

Title: The Invisible Library
Author: Genevieve Cogman
Pub Date: 15-1-2015
Rating: 5 Stars

As an avid reader and fan of fantasy, I have been wanting to read The Invisible Library for over a year. Even after I received a copy, it was in my TBR pile for months. Now that I am finished reading, I am berating myself for taking so long. It was a great story and wonderful start to a new series.

Ms. Cogman has that rare ability to transport the reader to the place and time of her choosing. In this case it is a library that resides between dimensions. The librarians who staff this particular library are there for life and their mission is to collect and preserve rare books from all dimensions.  The main character Irene is a junior librarian that has been tasked with finding a book of Grimm fairy tales in an alternate London. Assigned to her is Kai, a librarian in training, who is somewhat of a mystery. In this alternate London magic and the forces of chaos abound. Worlds with chaos are extremely dangerous, leaving Irene to wonder why Kai would be assigned to her for this dangerous mission.

When they arrive in the alternate world, they discover the book they are sent to retrieve has been stolen from the vampire that recently acquired it. Now they must unravel the mystery of its disappearance. Along the way, they meet Vale, a detective reminiscent of Sherlock Homes, minus the Watson, who assists them. They also meet some not so helpful and downright dangerous people. Including another librarian that is trying to be the first to the book in order to scoop Irene.

A great adventure. The plot moved along quickly and had lots of surprises which kept our heroin on her toes. I also enjoyed how Irene’s mind worked and how she kept questioning things in her quest to find the missing book. It gave validity to the story.

The only thing I wanted, that I did not get, is a little more information about The Library itself and some of the characters. There are several bites of information that are hinted at but not fully revealed. It left me craving more. This has set the stage for further development in the series of both the characters and The Library.  In addition, the alternate dimensions concept is teeming with infinite possibilities for future stories. My head is spinning just thinking about all the possible missions for the field librarians. In short, I look forward to discovering more about Irene and Kai and reading about their exciting adventures for the The Library.

The Original Ginny Moon by Benjamin Ludwig

Title: The Original Ginny Moon
Author: Benjamin Ludwig
Pub Date: 2-May-2017

Ginny Moon is a 14 year old girl with autism. Ginny’s story is told from her point of view giving the story a very unique voice. The reader gets a glimpse into the how the mind of a child with autism might work and how they view the world.

Ginny was raised by her biological mother, Gloria, until the age of 9 when she was removed for abuse and neglect. When we meet Ginny, five years have passed and she is currently in her third “Forever Home”. Because of her autism she struggles with communicating. She has been trying to tell everyone that she needs to find her Baby Doll.  The last time she saw her Baby Doll was the night she was removed from her mother’s home. All her actions are centered around getting back to Gloria and her Baby Doll. She knows Gloria is not taking proper care of Baby Doll and to Ginny it is a matter of life and death that she returns. As she works towards this goal things begin to spiral out of control and those around her struggle to keep her in a safe home.

The story telling was superb and it will touch you. I was hooked after just the first few pages. I was cheering for Ginny the whole time and I am sure you will too.  There is not one particular kind of reader I would recommend this to because I suspect most any reader will enjoy this book.

I received an ARC from Harper Collins in exchange for my honest review.

Never Let You Go by Chevy Stevens

Title: Never Let You Go
Author: Chevy Stevens
Pub Date: 14-Mar-2017
Rating: 5 stars

Never Let You Go is an engaging thriller written by Chevy Stevens. The plot is well thought out and had me totally vested, which kept me turning pages well into the early morning hours. The character develop was excellent also. I especially liked getting into Lindsey’s head a little to understand how an abusive relationship starts and then escalates. How the mental abuse wears a person down and they begin to question everything and are so afraid to seek help.

In the story we meet Lindsey and her daughter Sophie who live in a remote part of Canada’s Pacific Coast accessible only by boat. They escaped there after Andrew, Lindsey’s ex-husband, is sentenced to 10 years in prison for killing a woman one night while drinking and driving. They have been carefully building their new lives. Lindsey now has a successful cleaning business with a few employees. She is finally feeling like her life is nearing normal. Sophie is a gifted artist and is finishing high school with plans to attend college.

Then strange things start happening shorty after Andrew’s release from prison. For example, Lindsey finds her keys and phone placed just so on her purse when she is at a client’s house cleaning. This is something she never does, but Andrew always berated her about losing them. How could Andrew have found her… and so quickly? Deep down Lindsey knew this day would come. Andrew is never going to let her go. She is his and he will go to any length to keep her. At least that is the logical conclusion given Andrew’s history.

Even though I figured out Andrew’s role or lack thereof as the case may be, I was still truly surprised by the ending. A great story and it was intense. If you love thrillers, you have to read this book and you will devour it.

Please note, I received a copy of this book from the publisher, St. Martin’s Press, through a Shelf Awareness giveaway.

 

Hidden Figures by Margot Shetterly

Title: Hidden Figures
Author: Margot Lee Shetterly
Pub. Date: 6-Dec-2016
Rating: 5 Stars

I so wanted to read this book before I saw the movie and I am so glad I did. The movie will never be able to cover the breadth and depth of this book. Ms. Shetterly did a fantastic job of telling the stories of these brilliant African-American women who worked so hard behind the scenes at the NACA during World War II then later at NASA. Kudos to her for finally shining the light on these women and their important contribution to our nation.

I am old enough to remember the Apollo missions and all I ever saw from the media was white men. I find it appalling that it took a World War, and the corresponding male labor shortage, for women of color, or women of any color, to even be considered for a job as a computer. Computer being the human kind before even the behemoth electronic kind that filled rooms. Then they were sequestered and segregated. As was pointed out in the book, “People of color had to work twice as hard for one half the pay.” Despite all the things against them, these amazing women rose to the challenge. They worked alongside the engineers (white men) and crunched numbers thus contributing to the war effort and later to the space race that culminated with putting a man on the moon.

In summary, Hidden Figures is a remarkable and amazing story and Ms. Shetterly told it so eloquently. I sometimes find non-fiction a little on the dry side; not so in this case, the story is very readable. Being a lover of useful, and not-so-useful knowledge, I loved the tidbits of historical/scientific information (the focus is on the individuals’ stories) that were scattered throughout the book.  I highly recommend this book to just about everyone, especially anyone who enjoys history, specifically womens’, and/or science.

Just so you know, I received a copy of this book for Christmas from my wonderful husband. Thank You!

Dandelion Dead by Chrystle Fiedler

Title: Dandelion Dead Author: Chrystle Fiedler Pub Date: 27-Sep-2016 Rating: 5 Stars
Title: Dandelion Dead
Author: Chrystle Fiedler
Pub Date: 27-Sep-2016
Rating: 5 Stars

Dandelion Dead, by Chrystle Fiedler, is the fourth book in the Natural Remedies series. Even though this is the fourth book in the series, it can be read as a stand-alone book. Ms. Fiedler did an excellent job of giving the reader enough background information on the characters so you do not miss out on anything happening in the story.

Willow McQuade wears many hats, owner of Nature’s Way Market and Café, holistic doctor, animal rescuer and part time sleuth. It all starts when Willow is catering an event for Pure, a local winery, run by her ex-boyfriend Simon. All is going well, at least on the surface, until during the party the body of Amy Lord is found and it is discovered that she died from ingesting poison hemlock. Amy is the sister-in-law to Simon’s business partner David. The leading suspect in the case is Willow’s assistant Lily and the police are convinced they have their killer since Amy had both motive, opportunity and the knowledge of poisonous plants.

With the police refusing to look for another suspect, the trio of Willow, Simon and Willow’s boyfriend Jackson team up to put their amateur sleuth skills to work. What they uncover is a tangled web of lies, jealousy and deceit. They suspect that David was the real target and not Amy. As they try to unravel the mystery of Amy’s death there are additional attempts on David’s life confirming their theory and spurring them on to discover who the real killer is.

There are several interesting twists that made the story very compelling. The back stories of the characters were very thoughtful done and gave the story a real believability. The pace of the story was good and I particularly liked how all the lives of the characters were intertwined. All in all, this book is a great cozy mystery. I really loved all the herbal lore and remedies in the story. The author’s love of herbs and holistic remedies really shows in this book.

Anyone who loves mysteries is bound to fall in love with this one. Looking forward to reading more by this author.

Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book in return for my honest review.

Gilded Cage by Vic James

Title: Gilded Cage Author: Vic James Pub Date: 14-02-2017 Rating: 5 Stars
Title: Gilded Cage
Author: Vic James
Pub Date: 14-02-2017
Rating: 5 Stars

I was hooked by the end of the first page. I loved, loved, loved how this book pulled me in to the world. In fact, I loved most everything about this book. The settings, the characters, the plot are all well thought out. Be prepared, this book was rather dark and very Machiavellian and in some ways reminded me of Game of Thrones. That said, the story was fresh and I loved that the setting was in the UK and not some totally made up world. The flow and speed of the story was really great and there were several twists that I did not see coming. I always love when a good book can surprise me and that does not happen very often.

The UK described in the book is ruled by the Equals, the aristocrats, who weld magic that is called “Skill”. The commoners or “Un-Skilled” are required to spend ten years of their lives as slaves with no rights and they are considered chattel. The story revolves around two families, the Hadley family, who are commoners, and the Jardine family who are the most powerful “Skilled” family.

The Hadley’s plan is to do their slave days as a family and they have been assigned to the Jardine’s estate of Kyneston. From the start their plans go array, when the car comes to pick them up the Hadley’s, soon to be seventeen year old, son Luke is not assigned to the estate, but to the slave town of Millmoor. Millmoor is a notoriously brutal factory town where the work is long and hard and many do not survive. As a slave Luke has no rights; therefore, he must go on to Millmoor and hope his family can correct this error. What ensues is nothing short of tragic.

The Guiled Cage is the start of a great new trilogy. I predict that it will be the next big epic YA fantasy series and I can’t wait to read the second installment.

Disclosure: I received an ARC copy from the publisher, via Net Galley, in exchange for me honest review.

The Impossible Fortress by Jason Rekulak

Title: The Impossible Fortress Author: Jason Rekulak Pub Date: 7-Jan-2017 Rating: 5 Stars
Title: The Impossible Fortress
Author: Jason Rekulak
Pub Date: 7-Feb-2017
Rating: 5 Stars

Vanna White in Playboy that is how it all started. All Billy and his friends, Alf and Clark, wanted was to get their hands on a copy. Simple… not at all. You have to be eighteen to purchase Playboy and they are always kept behind the counter at Zelinsky’s store. After several failed attempts to lay hands on the coveted prize, they hatch a plan to steal a copy. All they need is the code to the security alarm. The plan involves Billy cozying up to Mary, the shop owner’s computer nerd daughter, and getting it from her. Billy, a computer geek himself, ends up falling for Mary. What is a guy to do? Betray his friends or betray Mary?

Oh, the nostalgia! The Impossible Fortress, by Jason Rekulak, brought back a lot of memories for me. The story was great and I kept rooting for Billy even though I could see he was heading for trouble. The characters were flawed but in a good way. The story was paced well so you never got bored and it did not feel rushed either. Great coming-of-age story and thoroughly enjoyable!

I received a free copy in exchange for my honest review.

When Darkness Comes by John Anthony Miller

Title: When Darkness Comes Author: John Anthony Miller Pub Date: 8-Jul-2016 Rating: 5 Stars
Title: When Darkness Comes
Author: John Anthony Miller
Pub Date: 8-Jul-2016
Rating: 5 Stars

When Darkness Comes is another brilliant historical novel from John Anthony Miller. The story is fiction but the facts surrounding it are all too real. The story is about three people who are working for the French Resistant in Paris during World War II.  Each person has a reason to loath the Germans.  Yet, not all Parisians feel this way and some even profit from the occupation. In this kind of atmosphere it is difficult to know who you can trust. Your neighbor, a coworker, anyone can turn you over to the Gestapo.

In this incredibly dangerous environment, Rachel a young Jewish girl and her family barely escape Paris with their lives. The Resistant helps to resettle them in the country side with new identities. Yet, Rachel feels a strong need to help put an end to the Nazi occupation and decides to return to Paris to help the Resistant. Together with Claire, a book store owner, whose husband was killed during the initial invasion of France and Paul, a banker, whose wife and daughter where murdered by the Nazis, they work to gather information that will assist the Allies. After a dangerous turn of events, Rachel becomes involved with helping other Jews escape Paris via the underground tunnels in Paris. All is going smoothly when disaster strikes and it could cost all three their lives.

The story is truly a nail biting, suspenseful ride and you will not want to put it down. The story moves quickly and not all the characters are what they seem. Wonderfully written and sure to keep any reader up into the wee hours of the morning to finish. I was almost disappointed when I got to the end. It was that good!

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