Book Reviews

  If you have a book recommendation for me to read or want to interject your own comments onto my reviews, feel free to share with me!  Happy reading:)

    This was the last book I read over vacation and I really enjoyed it!  This book follows Evie O'Neill on her quest for a more exciting life.  Raised in Ohio during the roaring 20s, Evie gets into trouble almost daily.  Fed up with her rowdy behavior and unaware of her divination abilities, Evie's parents send her off to NYC to live with her Uncle Will, the owner and curator for the Museum of American Folklore, Superstition and The Occult.  Ultimately, Evie ends up entangled in a slew of mysterious murders popping up all over Manhattan with a frightening tie to history, religion and a serial killer.  Evie has to use her power to see into the past to help her future, and the future of Manhattan.

    This book was definitely a thriller.  I couldn't read it at night or else I would've had nightmares!  Regardless, I enjoyed the time period of this book.  I'm a huge Gatsby fan and this really highlighted the good parts of the 1920s flapper era.  I also liked how each character had their own unique perspective and that perspective propelled the story forward each time the story jumped back and forth.  Although, I found that I liked the other characters perspective more than Evie's, since she could get a little annoying.

    All the hip 20s lingo also through me for a loop.  I had trouble figuring out what Evie was talking about sometimes and it made me a tad confused.  I also didn't really like how one of the characters just started having feelings for Evie out of nowhere, (it seemed).  I totally didn't see it coming, but apparently other people loved it.  This book was different than the other books I read this week.  I wasn't a huge fan of the thriller aspect of this novel, but I'm glad I at least gave it a try.  I'll give this book 3.5 out of 5 stars for good measure.  The writing was great and the story was solid, just everything in between was a little too much for me.  I might pick up the second book in this series, but at this point I don't see that happening any time soon.

    In comparison to the first installment of this book, this one was alright.  I liked that Insurgent tied up some loose ends from the first book, but I felt that the entire thing was a little confusing and jumpy to get through.  After the collapse of two of the factions, Tris has to cope with a lot of personal issues as well as the threat of an oncoming war between the remaining factions.  This novel deals a lot with post-traumatic stress disorder and how it affects not only Tris, but her relationships with others, mainly Four.

    I liked how accurately the PTSD was portrayed in this novel.  Based on what happened in Divergent, I don't blame Tris for being all bent out of shape.  This novel focused mainly on her coping strategies, (or lack thereof), and running from everyone who might be looking for them, (which is pretty much everyone).  We meet some characters we thought to be gone or dead from the previous book, which tells me nothings is ever finite in these types of Dystopian literature.  It also tells the reader that not everyone can be trusted.  Insurgent was a lot darker than Divergent, so I'm thinking that may be a pattern moving forward with Allegiant.  Overall, I gave this book 3.5 out of 5 stars.

    Another novel by Sarah J. Maas because I couldn't get enough!  I heard so many good things about this series on BookTube that I had to check it out and since I loved A Court of Thorns and Roses so much, it was a no-brainer.  This series follows a young lady assassin named Celaena Sardothien as she attempts to claim her freedom in a contest for the King of Adarlan.  Throughout the contest, there is an element of mystery as some of the contestants are brutally murdered.  Celaena has to figure out how, why and who before she becomes the next victim.  (slight spoilers ahead)

    Truly an epic read!  I enjoyed this book and the high fantasy realm it's based in.  I also liked that the author included a map of the region for me to reference as I read because I like knowing where I am in a book.  Although I didn't enjoy this one quite as much as A Court of Thorns and Roses, I am looking forward to finishing this series.  I loved the personality and the wit of the main character and felt that she represented a female lone-wolf assassin quite well.  I also enjoyed looking into the relationships she had with all of the other characters.

    The one thing that irked me about this book is the supposed "love-triangle."  Although it was promised that there would be conflict here, I didn't get the sense of romance or anything from this minor storyline within the overall arc.  I actually liked that the novel wasn't romanticized and that the main focus was the mystery and the assassin's story, but the fact that there was supposed to be a love triangle bothered me because I didn't get that from the story.  Obviously there's something between two of the characters, but I felt that if there was supposed to be something more there I missed it.  It definitely wasn't as clear as the other novel I read.

    Despite my confusion on the love-interest aspect of this novel, the action was great!  I liked reading about her going toe-to-toe against some of the most ruthless criminals in her world and her not being even the slightest bit phased by it.  Her attitude was definitely refreshing compared to other female lead characters.  I'd give this one a 4.5 out of 5 stars, just because it wasn't exactly everything I was hoping it would be, but very close.  I'm hoping that the next book fuels my desire to read on like this one did!

    This book was all sorts of amazing!!!  (mild spoilers ahead, but nothing too heavy)  A Court of Thorns and Roses is the first book in a new series by Sarah J. Maas and follows a young woman named Feyre as she fights to feed her family in a desolate realm where Fairies are feared for being ravenous murderers.  Feyre accidentally kills one of their kind without remorse and gets taken away to the land of the Fae to live out the remainder of her life in chains and misery, or so she thinks.  

    This book was a fantstic retelling of the Beauty and the Beast story, which is why I loved it so much.  There were elements that were clearly taken from the fairytale, like the "beast," the curse and the gift of a special room in the castle to appease the captive lady.  Luckily there was no beastiality involved, although I don't think even that would've deterred my interest in this novel.  

    I loved all the different characters and the setting of the novel.  Everyone had their own unique personality and I enjoyed the lead heroine aspect as well.  The steamy scenes were actually one of my favorite parts!  I'm not usually a romantic/sexy book reader, but I found myself re-reading some sections just to get another taste, (oooo-er).  Many people said in reviews that the relationship felt rushed or that it didn't develop as it should have, but I personally had no problem with the relationship building here.  I thought that their feelings progressed accurately for the situation and that it mirrored the Beauty and the Beast's relationship progression quite well.  

    There was so much that I liked about this book that I can't focus on just one thing.  From the characters to the different world building to the setting descriptions and everything in between, this book was more than I had hoped it would be. I couldn't put this one down and it only took me two days to read through it, (which is only because I had to sleep at some point).  Definitely waiting eagerly for the next installment in this series!  In the mean time, I've become quite a fan of Maas's writing, so I'll be putting up a review for the first book in the Throne of Glass series next.  A Court of Thorns and Roses gets a 5 star rating out of me and LORD PLEASE TELL ME there's a menage a trois for the next novel?!!!? ;)

   I had been putting off reading this book because I didn't think that I would like it, but I was so wrong!  I actually really enjoyed this book.  Divergent follows a young girl named Beatrice Prior as she navigates through a world of factions, hers being Abnegation.  Each year a ceremony happens where the youth make their decisions to stay in their factions of origin or choose a different faction based on test results.  Beatrice makes a bold decision that changes her fate and her life as she knows it.  

    It was great to see the struggle, the emotion and the character development throughout this novel.  As Beatrice turned into Tris, she began to trust herself more.  There was also her relationship with Four and how it went from strained to relaxed over time.  I enjoyed how all of the characters were from different factions but all of them had obvious similarities and were effected by the same situations.  There were some heavy moments in this novel, including a lot of death and suffering, but overall I'd say it went well with the world and building the momentum of the plot.  I also really enjoyed the conflict aspect of this novel, from the mystery to the backstabbing to the unexpected courses of action, I had no idea what was going to happen the entire time, which is a good thing.

    The first books in each series that I read are generally the best and this is no exception.  I am looking forward to seeing the movie version of this book, now that I've finished it.  I know that it won't be as good as the book, as usual, but I like to get a sense for what I had been picturing in my head come to life.  A visual aid isn't that bad!  I give this book a 4 out of 5 stars.

    A Darker Shade of Magic was a breath of fresh air!  This was my second adult-fantasy novel to try after it was rated really well through BookTube.  I actually bought this book flat out from my local bookstore and I do not regret it one bit.  This novel follows a "traveler" called Kell, one of two remaining magicians in their realm of alternative universes.  The novel takes place in three different Londons during the 1800s: Grey, White and Red.  Kell is from Red London, where there is a lot of magic and energy in the air.  Lila is a thief from Grey London, which mirrors our own version of 1800s London without any magic.  They meet under less than stellar circumstances and end up helping each other through a battle of good vs. evil.

    This book was awesome!  I always enjoy a good parallel universe, so this was a good start.  I also like the time period they chose and all the characters in the different universes fit well within their compounds.  Kell is practically one of a kind, given as a child to the King of Red London to serve him and travel between the other Londons to spread messages to other kings.  He's basically a magic errand boy, but with a mysterious past.  I'm hoping that reading the second installment of this series, A Gathering of Shadows, clears up some of this mystery.

    Besides Kell, I liked the snark of Delilah Bard coming from nothing in Grey London to bond with a magic Red Londoner.  There was no romance in this book at all and although at first I was disappointed, I liked that the focus was on the mission at hand and not a rough romance between the magic and the ordinary.  Although Lila is far from "ordinary" I liked her character and I thought she brought something to Kell that he was missing.  I would love to live in this world if not for the murderous zone of White London and the ever-lingering and ominous Black London.  I gave this book 4.5 out of 5 stars.  I'll be picking up A Gathering of Shadows soon!

    In The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon, we follow the criminal life of Paige Mahoney as she explores and investigates the underbelly of Scion London.  The year is 2059 and clairvoyants, or "unnaturals," are being systematically removed from the general public. Paige has spent the majority of her life hiding who she really is: a "dreamwalker," a rare type of clairvoyant who can remove his or her spirit from their physical body.  Her employer, a secret cell called the Seven Seals, operates within the criminal underworld of London.  But when Paige gets captured and arrested, she finds herself facing not only the Scion government, but also another race of beings called The Rephaim, who require voyants of all types to complete their army.  Paige is then thrown into a conflict that is much bigger than herself in which she has to decide where her morals lie, who's side she's really on, and what kind of power she truly possesses.

    This book was really fun to read.  The post-apocalyptic/alternative future in which clairvoyants are not only real but criminals in their own skin was a really interesting perspective.  The story starts off slowly, but builds into a suspenseful life-threatening thrill ride that kept me wanting to read more every day.  The strong, Irish female protagonist was also great, having ties to Ireland myself.  I found that her origin was interesting in the sense that Ireland has a long history of oppression and revolt, which got incorporated into this alternative world.  I also enjoyed how every character had a different ability, even if they were similar voyant types.  The only thing I found to be somewhat predictable was some of the personal relationships of certain characters, which were fortunately not the focus of this novel.  Paige has to work alongside her supposed "enemy" in order to regain her physical and spiritual freedom as well as the freedom of others.  I was definitely not disappointed with this book and I'm glad I acted upon this recommendation.  I am looking forward to reading the second installment of this series, The Mime Order, to see where the story goes from here!

     In The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, Death narrates the life events of Liesel Meminger, a foster child growing up in Nazi Germany near Munich.  Her world is shattered after losing both her little brother and her mother after a long, frigid train ride.  With the help of her new accordion-playing foster father, Liesel slowly learns to read, starting a chain of words and thievery that changes her life.  From playing soccer in the streets with her best friend Rudy to harboring a doomed Jew in her basement, Liesel’s journey into adolescence is transcribed perfectly in this gripping, emotional novel about the power of words and the worth of a soul.

    Death was very convincing as the omniscient narrator.  I found that Death started the story feeling indifferent about humans as opposed to the end where he seemed more connected to the people he followed.  Although Death foreshadowed, (and sometimes just told the reader), what was going to happen in the end, I felt that the information didn’t take away anything from the story and I still wanted to see how and why everything played out the way it did in the end.  The narration tends to jump from present to past to future, but it always comes back to Leisel, providing necessary backstory and other supplemental information needed to explain how things come to light.  In spite of this, I found the flow of the book to be quite smooth and easy to follow.  The tragedy and misery that plagued Leisel’s life from the very beginning made the joy she discovered in reading to be very rewarding.  I’ve also always been very interested in the World War II era and the Holocaust, so reading a novel from a German perspective was eye opening.

    Anyone who enjoys reading historical fiction surrounding World War II, Nazi Germany and/or the Holocaust would really like this book.  Although there are Jews portrayed in the book, they are not the focus.  Readers who enjoy an omniscient narrator would also like this book.

    Learning in Video Game Affinity Spaces is a compilation of texts from different authors focusing on the ideas and theories surrounding video games as a source for social learning strategies.  As some of you may know, I'm taking a course on digital literacy in which we discuss these issues in detail and attempt to come up with solutions to the problems plaguing our education system in regards to social media and how different interpretations can have different results.

    This book, even though it was assigned for a class, was still interesting to me because I was curious to see how scholars could interpret video games into something students can learn from as opposed to the obvious conclusion: that students minds are being destroyed by technology and video games are a hindrance to the future of society, blah blah blah.  This book provides an alternative perspective to the learning patterns and theories involving technology and popular video games, such as Sims 2, Dance Dance Revolution and Neopets.

    I enjoyed reading this book because it taught me to think more about Internet culture and the limits we put on our students when they're in the classroom.  The author's provided data and information based on various case studies and research projects related to adolescents and their interactions with virtual communities and affinity spaces.  After reading what they have to say, you'll never look at video games the same way again.

    I would recommend this book to scholars in any field of study, to any video game aficionado, or to teachers who'd like to learn more about how, (subconsciously), students are really spending their free time.  This book helped me develop an idea about how to research my own affinity space of YouTube and it has also given me an idea for future research into video games.  If you're curious to know how video games can be beneficial from an educational standpoint, I'd recommend this short read.

    *If you're interested in more reading on connected learning and digital media, check out this blog by Mimi Ito, a cultural anthropologist focused on new media use among teens in America and Japan.