The Witch’s Heart

September 26, 2020September 26, 2020 youwanttoreadthistrustmeLeave a comment

Title: The Witch’s Heart

Author: Genevieve Gornichec

Page Count: 368

Series: N/A

Publishing Date/Publisher: February 9, 2021 by Ace Books

Format: eBook

Review: For people who loved Circe (*cough* me *cough* *cough*), this is a very strong readalike. The core of the story is very similar to Circe – it’s about a powerful witch living in relative isolation, who still manages to create meaningful relationships and build a family, all while struggling to stay out of the reach of wrathful gods – but the filler is quite different. The children and romantic relationships are entirely different, and the ending is quite different as well. I am a big fan of fiction rooted in mythology, and I was very pleased with this author’s take on Angrboda’s story. Not much mention is made of her in Norse mythology, aside from her being noted as Loki’s mate and the mother of his three monstrous children, so I really like seeing her story fleshed out and made whole. I am very excited to start recommending this book to readers once it is published.

Reader: Bekah

Rating:

Contemporary · Fiction

Such a Fun Age

September 26, 2020 youwanttoreadthistrustme1 Comment

Title: Such a Fun Age

Author: Kiley Reid

Performer: Nicole Lewis

Length: 9 hr, 58 min

Series: N/A

Publishing Date/Publisher: 2019 by Books on Tape

Format: eAudiobook

Review: It took me a long time to decide how I feel about this book, and to be honest I still don’t really know. Lewis is a fantastic writer, so I didn’t dislike the book, but at the same time I felt very unfulfilled by it. She addresses some very timely topics, yet in the end I did not really take anything away from story. I found many of the conversations between characters to be very cringey (probably intentionally so) and the twist at the end was not as shocking as I think it was intended to be. Some elements of the story were interesting, however, I don’t think this book will be one that sticks with me in the years to come.

Reader: Bekah

Rating:

Fiction · Science Fiction

The Left Hand of Darkness

September 16, 2020 youwanttoreadthistrustme1 Comment

Title: The Left Hand of Darkness

Author: Ursula K. Le Guin

Performer: George Guidall

Length: 9 hr, 39 min

Series: Hainish Cycle, Book 4

Publishing Date/Publisher: 2018 by Recorded Books

Format: eAudiobook

Review: There are a few prolific science fiction writers that I have had on my TBR list for some time, and Ursula K. Le Guin is one of them. I decided to tackle The Left Hand of Darkness because of it’s many awards and stellar reviews. Unfortunately, despite it’s many accolades, I did not personally enjoy it. I do, however, understand why it has received the praise bestowed upon it. It is a rather revolutionary work, both for the time it was written and the current time, and it is deeply philosophical….too philosophical for me. Although I do like a book that expands my thinking, I found it to be boring. Gethen as a setting sounds like my personal hell – cold and icy. The ambisexual nature of the native people was interesting, but there was not any particular character that I especially liked. The pacing of the book is hard to describe because to me it felt slow in some parts and rushed in others. All things considered, it is unlikely that I will read anymore books by Le Guin, but nevertheless I can say that I truly appreciate what she has done for the science fiction genre.

Reader: Bekah

Rating:

Fantasy · Fiction

By Sea & Sky: An Esowon Story

September 15, 2020 youwanttoreadthistrustmeLeave a comment

Title: By Sea & Sky: An Esowon Story

Author: Antoine Bandele

Performer: John Rogers

Length: 9 hr, 56 min

Series: The Sky Pirate Chronicles, Book 1

Publishing Date/Publisher: 2020 by Audible Audio

Format: eAudiobook

Review: This really may be a matter of personal preference, but this book had far too much action and not enough plot/character development for my tastes. In my mind, it was kind of the equivalent of one of those action packed movies that has so many explosions you eventually become unaffected by them. The battle sequences were so long, that rather than finding them thrilling, I just wanted to move on with the story. I was thoroughly unsatisfied with the backstories for Karim and Zala, and therefore had difficulty connecting with them as characters. The past is referenced often, but not in much detail, so the picture of how we got to this place of conflict is unclear. In short, I liked the concept of this book far more than the execution.

I listened to this book in audiobook format and I thought the performer did a good job even though I wasn’t really feeling the storyline.

Reader: Bekah

Rating:

Fantasy · Fiction · Romance · Young Adult

Kingdom of Ash

September 5, 2020September 5, 2020 youwanttoreadthistrustmeLeave a comment

Title: Kingdom of Ash

Author: Sarah J. Maas

Page Count: 984

Series: Throne of Glass, Book 7

Publishing Date/Publisher: October 23, 2018 by Bloomsbury YA

Format: eBook

Review: At this point in the game, I know exactly what I am getting into each time I pick up a Sarah J. Maas book. Kingdom of Ash was what I expected it to be in nearly every way, and I am totally ok with that. It was a satisfying ending to an epic saga (roughly 7,000 pages!). I think it is safe to say at this point that I am a dedicated Sarah J. Maas fan. Her writing is not perfect by any means, but I know that any book I pick up by her will be engaging and thoroughly enjoyable.

Reader: Bekah

Rating:

Contemporary · Fiction · Romance · Young Adult

Felix Ever After

September 5, 2020September 5, 2020 youwanttoreadthistrustmeLeave a comment

Title: Felix Ever After

Author: Kacen Callender

Page Count: 368

Series: N/A

Publishing Date/Publisher: May 5, 2020 by Balzer + Bray

Format: Hardcover

Review: First off, can we take a minute to appreciate that cover…gorgeous! I would have picked this book up for the cover alone if it wasn’t already in my TBR pile as a Mock Printz Committee selection. In the novel, Felix is an artist with a penchant for painting self-portraits. I like to think that this would have been one of those portraits.

But anywhoo, this book was a nice coming-of-age story filled to the brim with tropes. Misunderstood teenager? check. Angsty art school students? check. Mysterious online admirer? check. Confusing feelings about an attractive best friend? check.

Tropes aren’t necessarily a strike against a novel. When done well I enjoy them, however, I can’t say that about all the tropes in this book. I thought the romance angle in particular was weak. There was a weird quasi-love triangle that I didn’t feel did justice to either of the love interests. I could have cared less if Felix ended up either or neither of them.

So in summary, do not read this book for the romance, but rather for the character arc of a trans teen achieving self-acceptance and figuring out that it is ok to not have it all figured out.

Reader: Bekah

Rating:

Fiction · Science Fiction · Young Adult

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

September 5, 2020 youwanttoreadthistrustmeLeave a comment

Title: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

Author: Suzanne Collins

Page Count: 439

Series: The Hunger Games, Book 0

Publishing Date/Publisher: May 19, 2020

Format: eBook

Review: It has taken me awhile to write this review, mostly because I have had a hard time coming to terms with how I feel about this book. To say that I was a fan of The Hunger Games series would be a huge understatement…I was obsessed. I thought about it night and day as I blazed through the series. Nearly every other aspect of my life was put on hold, and when the first movie was released in theaters, I immediately bought a ticket and showed up in full Capitol inspired regalia. I talked to anyone who would listen about it, and religiously followed several fan blogs. All that said, I was positively tickled when I saw that Suzanne Collins would be writing a prequel. I was a little apprehensive when I read the initial synopsis, but I do love a good villain origin story, so I figured it couldn’t be bad.

I was wrong. So, so wrong. In fact, when I finally finished, my first thought was: WTF did I just read? I am completely confused about what the author was attempting to do with this story. Origin stories, when done right, can lend so much perspective to the actions of a villain. This did not happen at all with The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Instead of adding more depth to the character of Coriolanus Snow, it made him seem shallow and his nature was constantly portrayed in contradiction of itself. Everything he loves, he also seems to hate, and this is very confusing as a reader because his motives are even murkier than his character. The romance was disturbing and felt very “off” to me. This particular aspect of the story resulted in an ending that was bizarre to say the least. I was left with an overall feeling of disquiet when I finished, and I am not sure if this was or was not the authors intent.

The only thing I enjoyed about this reading experience was looking for the little Easter eggs and THG tie-ins woven throughout the storyline. There were enough of them that I decided to give this book a two star rating instead of a one.

Reader: Bekah

Rating:

Contemporary · Fiction · Romance · Young Adult

Second Chance Summer

September 5, 2020 youwanttoreadthistrustmeLeave a comment

Title: Second Chance Summer

Author: Morgan Matson

Page Count: 468

Series: N/A

Publishing Date/Publisher: May 8, 2012 by Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing

Format: eBook

Review: If you love nostalgic beach/lake house in the summer vibes, this book is for you. It is a sweet story filled with friendship, romance, and above all, family. True to it’s title, this story is all about second chances. So if you are into that sort of thing, check it out. I personally found it to be an enjoyable summer read. I didn’t have to think too hard and I was satisfied by the ending. It had a tone very similar to The Summer I Turned Pretty (just with less angst), so I would definitely recommend it as a read-alike to Jenny Han fans.

Reader: Bekah

Rating: