Tag: book review

The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert

Title: The Hazel Wood
Author: Melissa Albert
Pub. Date: 30-Jan-2018
Rating: 5 Stars

The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert is probably going to end up being one of my favorite books this year. I would describe it as a little bit The Magicians, a bit Caraval meets Grimm’s Fairy Tales and it is all dark and delicious. My God, you have got to read this one.

Alice has grown up on the road. She and her mother have moved repeated over the course of her seventeen years in order to escape the bad luck that follows them no matter where they run. When Alice’s estranged grandmother, an author with a cult following, dies a recluse at her estate in the Hazel Wood, they falsely believe the bad luck died with her. They settle down in New York City. Alice goes to school, gets a job and her mother gets married. Then the unthinkable happens, Alice’s mother is kidnapped. Alice learns the kidnappers are from the Hinterland, the fictional place in her grandmother’s book of fairy tales. Continue reading “The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert”

The Waking Land by Callie Bates

Title: The Waking Land
Author: Callie Bates
Pub. Date: 27-Jun-2017
Rating 4.5 Stars

The Waking Land is a debut novel by Callie Bates. It is filled with complex characters and elegant world building. Ms. Bates has given the reader beautiful descriptions of this magical world without being verbose. Not an easy thing to do.

From the beginning I was hooked when Elanna Valtai, at the age of five, is kidnapped in her own home by King Antoine. The king takes her in an attempt to squash the rebellion Elanna’s father has been planning. Her continued captivity is the King’s insurance that there will be no further uprisings. Once at the king’s court in Eren, Antoine raises Elanna, for fourteen years, alongside his own daughter and Elanna becomes fiercely loyal to him.  Continue reading “The Waking Land by Callie Bates”

The Apprentice Witch by James Nicol

Title: The Apprentice Witch
Author: James Nicol
Pub. Date: 25-July-2017
Rating: 5 Stars

There is no other way to say it, The Apprentice Witch by James Nicol rocked. I started out reading to determine if the content was okay for my grandson. Once I started reading, I just could not put it down. What is not to like about a heroine who is so genuine that you can laugh and cry with her?

Arianwyn Gribble has been in the care of her grandmother ever since her mother died and her father joined the army. As old fashioned at it is, she is also apprenticed to her. Her peers, especially Gemma Alveston, never fail to remind her that she just does not quite fit in. Then in front of them all, she fails her witch’s evaluation test. Instead of the silver star signifying full witch status, she is given a bronze disk called the moon brooch, given to witches who show promise but have yet to pass the evaluation, and told she can retake the test in six months. Continue reading “The Apprentice Witch by James Nicol”

Horizon by Tabitha Lord

Title: Horizon
Author: Tabitha Lors
Pub. Date: 1-Dec-2015
Rating: 4 Stars

Horizon by Tabitha Lord is the first in a series, of at least one more book, and ends with a cliffhanger. While it is a sci-fi story, it is also heavy on the romance but nothing sappy (thankfully). Actually, the romantic scenes were well done and therefore nothing for me to quibble about.

The story opens from Caeli Crys’s point of view as a ship crashes on her planet. She is empathetic and she feels the terror of the crew in the moments before the actual crash. When she goes to investigate she finds that, of the two people on board, only one has survived, Commander Derek Markham. As empathetic, Caeli possesses the skill to heal with her mind and she quickly sets about saving Derek’s life. Continue reading “Horizon by Tabitha Lord”

Crown of Stars by Sophie Jaff

Title: Crown of Stars
Author: Sophie Jaff
Pub. Date: 6-Jun-2017
Rating: 4.5 Stars

Crown of Stars is the second book in the Nightsong Trilogy. It can be read as a standalone, which I am thankful for since I have not read the first book. It is a mix of fantasy and psychological thriller and is a true good versus evil story. The plot shifts between Margaret in the 17th century and Katherine in the present.

Margaret is the daughter of a Traveler and has inherited supernatural gifts from her. The community is afraid of her and has shunned her. After her mother’s death, her father remarries and it is soon evident that Margaret will have to leave. She is finally able to secure a position as an alewife in the house of a young, wealthy lord whom she falls for. Tragically, her mother’s killer is now seeking her and she becomes determined to defeat him even at the cost of her own life. Continue reading “Crown of Stars by Sophie Jaff”

Mind Virus by Charles Kowalski

Title: Mind Virus
Author: Charles Kowalski
Pub. Date: 1-July-2017
Rating: 5 Stars

Mind Virus by Charles Kowalski is an award winning debut novel and a total adrenaline rush. As scary as the thought is, the events depicted could easily have been real. Given all the attention the media focuses on terrorism and religious extremism it is no wonder that the story will resonate with readers.

Robin Fox is a professor of world religions, ex-Army and conscientious objector. Since he is one of the few people in the world that has had dealings with a new deadly virus he is drawn back into the world of intelligence. As he works to uncover the mastermind behind the plot to kill people of faith, he is led on a chase which leads to various religious celebrations around the world. Robin must race against the clock to stop the planned attacks before this deadly virus is released into the populous. Then it becomes personal to him when his very dear friend Emily Paxton is kidnapped. I do not want to spoil a great story; therefore, I am intentionally being vague and stopping here. Continue reading “Mind Virus by Charles Kowalski”

The Tourist by Robert Dickinson

Title: The Tourist
Author: Robert Dickinson
Pub. Date: 18-Oct-2016
Rating: 2 Stars

The Tourist by Robert Dickinson is a time travel novel that left me wanting. I did manage to get to the end, but it was a struggle at times. The tidbits of information that were supposed to move the plot along were few and far between and ambiguous at best. I love books that make me think and put all the puzzle pieces together in order to have that climatic moment where I can sigh with relief because I get it. That did not happen for me with this book. There were too many puzzle pieces missing for me to get a complete picture. Therefore, I was left wanting in the end.

Then to make matters worse the plot jumps around in time, to various places and different people. Making it more difficult to keep up with what was going on and whose time line I was reading about. I especially did not care for the use of second person for one of the characters. I have read other books were that technique worked well. Its use here turned murky waters to muddy. Continue reading “The Tourist by Robert Dickinson”

The Nazi’s Daughter by Tim Murgatroyd

Title: The Nazi’s Daughter
Author: Tim Murgatroyd
Pub. Date: 31-May-2017
Rating: 4 Stars

The Nazi’s Daughter is set in present day New York City and 1943 Europe at the height of WWII. Elise Van Thoof-Noman is the daughter of a very powerful Dutch Nazi. She is a prima ballerina that has suffered a career ending tendon injury. After recuperating in Paris, Elise heads off to a remote island off the coast of Holland. Once there she meets Pieter Goedhart a school teacher and reluctant resistance fighter. They are drawn to each other, but Pieter must take care with Elise. She cannot find out about the people he is hiding from the Nazis in his attic. If she does, it could jeopardize both their lives and the lives of those he is hiding. Continue reading “The Nazi’s Daughter by Tim Murgatroyd”

The Confessions of Young Nero by Margaret George

Title: The Confessions of Young Nero
Author: Margaret George
Pub Date: 7-Mar-2017
Rating: 5 Stars

The Confessions of Young Nero is the first installment of a two book series that follows the life of Nero, as he rises, at a young age, to become one of the better known emperors in Roman history. The story is fiction but the facts behind the story are very real. The author takes us into the world of Roman royalty in which greed, deception and murder are a part of everyday life.

We enter the story when Nero is a young child of four. He is not yet Nero, but Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus whose father is dead and mother has been exiled. At this early age he is introduced to the savagery that is part of his heritage when his uncle, the emperor, tries to kill him. Upon his Uncle’s demise, Nero’s mother, Agrippina, is able to return to Rome and reunite with her son. She sees young Nero as a way to achieve her ultimate goal of ruling the Roman Empire. All she needs is the right pawn. Continue reading “The Confessions of Young Nero by Margaret George”

The Gods Who Walk Among Us by Max Eastern

Title: The Gods Who Walk Among Us
Author: Max Eastern
Pub. Date: 14-Mar-2017
Rating: 4 Stars

The Gods Who Walk Among Us is a fast paced thriller. There is plenty of action, suspense and twists in this story to keep any reader sitting on the edge of their seat. This is Max Eastern’s debut novel and a thriller that will have you wanting more; therefore, thriller lovers should be on the lookout for more from this new author.

The story is set in New York City where Adam Azoulay is a washed up attorney working as a paparazzo trying to survive on a merger living selling celebrity photos. By chance, one evening he captures a brief video of an African warlord with an American celebrity of sorts. This draws the attention of a nonprofit looking to make a name for themselves by presenting an award to an elusive, but well known, human rights advocate. To date they have not been able to reach the recipient. They recruit Adam to track him down. Continue reading “The Gods Who Walk Among Us by Max Eastern”