February 2023 Reads

Reviews Week 8

Reviews Week 8

February 20th-26th

Book 38: Bear

By Ben Queen

Read February 20th

Pages Read: 160

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 Bear was an excellent book that I had a lot of fun with. It’s obvious from the storyline that Ben Queen has experience with children’s stories, and it does not surprise me that he wrote some Pixar movies. The story in this book was heartfelt, and I thoroughly enjoyed my time with it. I like that we got the dog Bear and his owner’s perspectives. The adventure was beautiful, and I would love to see more from this world. I will definitely be getting a copy of this for my collection, and I’m glad that I signed this out. 

Book 39: The Mirrorwood

By Deva Fagan

Read February 21st-23rd

Pages Read: 304

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 The description intrigued me when this book first came out last year. I love the idea of the blighted and how Fable, the main character, was one of them. It was great to learn more about this throughout the book and about her as a character. She is not only trying to stop the curse on her world but also learning about herself along the way. This book has the perfect premise for a middle-grade novel. Also, it was a highly entertaining adventure.

I will always be a sucker for a character going into a more magical world than their own, whether through portals or however they do so. Fable’s journey into the Mirrorwood was delightful, and I hope Deva Fagan will return to this world at some point. I will say that some of the plot was predictable, but that does not change the fact that I enjoyed my time in this world. Definitely a great book for middle-grade fantasy lovers.

Book 40: The Adventure Zone: The Eleventh Hour

By Clint McElroy, Griffin McElroy, Travis McElroy, 

Justin McElroy, and Carey Pietsch

Read February 24th

Pages Read: 352

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 This was by far the best book in the series. I loved the time loop aspects in the book and how they played with that for humor. Also, it was great seeing Magnus, Merle, and Taako's backstories and learning a bit more about them. The humor is always great but the heartfelt aspects were some of the best parts of this volume. Like always the artwork was stunning and I loved the Previously on section at the beginning.

Book 41: The Baker's Man

By Jennifer Moorman

Read February 23rd- 25th

Pages Read: 336

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  I went into this book thinking it would be so much better than it was. The synopsis drew me in and I was intrigued to see what would happen after Anna created a man from dough. My favorite part was the little bit of magical realism we got and Elijah's character. His growth throughout the book was one of the best parts, and I was glad to see him grow as a character. I cannot say the same for the main character, Anna's growth.

For most of the story, Anna lets everyone push her around, whether that be her mother, friends, or "boyfriend," Baron. She lives her life the way others want her to and does not let herself live her dreams. Seeing her hide behind what others wanted for her and not allowing herself to live her dreams was not enjoyable.

Also, I knew that this was a magical realism book, so it wouldn't have much magic. That did not stop me from wanting more than we got. I believed that Anna would be running a magical bakery, which was not what we got. It would have been much more enjoyable with more magic. I guess the gusts of wind throughout were supposed to be bits of magic, but it was strange.

I did enjoy some of the parts with Elijah and Anna. They were cute together at the beginning, but even that lost its magic, especially towards the book's second half. I won't spoil that plot point, but I didn't particularly appreciate where this book went with Tessa, one of Anna's friends. Her whole point in the plot brought down the book for me and made me actively dislike it. Also, Anna's reaction to Elijah changing and growing as a person was not great either. Around the middle of the book, I got aggravated reading her story and her friends.

The ending was pretty good; as I said before, I enjoyed seeing Elijah grow. Overall, this book was not what I wanted from a romantic, magical realism story. It didn't hold the magic I wanted or have characters that drew me into their romance.

*Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.*

Book 42: Star Wars: Darth Vader, Vol. 1: Vader

By Kieron Gillen

Read February 26th

Pages Read: 160

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The story in this graphic novel takes place directly after the events of A New Hope and follows Darth Vader as he looks for help on his own solo mission. I have been wanting to read this series ever since I first heard about it years ago. It was not as good as I hoped it would be and I do not plan on continuing with it. I was not a fan of the whole story line with Vader being under another Imperial officer's command, especially the reveal of who that was. It was just kind of strange how they revealed it in the story. 

 

One part I did enjoy were the droids. It was funny how they were similar to C3PO and R2D2, but evil. Also, the illustration style was great and the scenes looked like they could come directly from the movies. 

 

Review Week 7

Reviews Week 7

February 13th-19th

Book 32: The Bear and the Nightingale

By Katherine Arden

Read February 1st-15th

Pages Read: 321

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 Katherine Arden created a beautiful atmosphere in this story that draws you in from the beginning until the end. I adored following along with Vasilisa and her family. It was great to see her grow up from the story's start and see how true she stays to herself and her beliefs. The Russian folklore stories and characters throughout this tale were wonderful. This has made me even more interested in learning more about those tales than before. Arden’s writing is mesmerizing, and I could not get enough of it. I will definitely be picking up the rest of the trilogy and looking into other books by her.

Book 33: A Blink of the Screen: 

Collected Shorter Fiction

By Terry Pratchett

Read February 16th

Pages Read: 286

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 It will always be an absolute joy returning to the Discworld, whether that be through Terry's novels or his short stories. A Blink of the Screen has many of Terry's short stories throughout his life. The first is even originally from when he was in high school. Most of this book is his shorter stories, but there were a couple of poems throughout the volume. I have read some of these stories in other volumes of his stories, but most were new to me. I enjoyed seeing the Non-Discworld writings and loved returning to the Discworld again.

My favorites from the volume include the following:

Non-Discworld Writings-
~"The Hades Business" from 1963- This is the one that was initially from when he was in high school.
~"The Prince and the Partridge" from 1968 is one of the stories I have read in another volume. I love the story in this one.
~"Turntables of the Night" from 1989- I love this story's different version of Death.
~"Once and Future" from 1995- I will always be a sucker for King Arthur stories. This story is my favorite of the stories from this volume. It is a great take on the original tale, all from Mervin’s perspective. I wish he would have gotten the chance to write a longer piece from this like he said he wanted to.
~"FTB" from 1996- A predecessor to Hogfather that was a lot of fun.

Discworld Writings-
~"Theatre of Cruelty" from 1993-A story focuses on the City Watch. I will always love having more time with Vimes and Carrot. This definitely takes place after Guards, Guards when Carrot first joined the watch. It is a take on the Mr. Punch story.
~"The Sea and Little Fishes" from 1998- Another of the stories I have read before. I love any of the witch stories, and seeing Granny's antics in this story made me laugh out loud.
~"The Ankh-Morpork National Anthem" from 1999- What a fun piece.

Overall, I had such an enjoyable time with this volume of stories from Terry. I highly recommend this piece to fans of Terry, the Discworld, and shorter works of fantasy. It was so enjoyable and just a lot of fun.

Book 34: Here There Be Gerblins 

(The Adventure Zone Volume 1)

By Clint McElroy, Griffin McElroy, Justin McElroy, 

Travis McElroy, and Carey Pietsch

Read February 17th

Pages Read: 256

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February 17th, 2023 review:
I had such a fun time this time around rereading this book and the rest of the series. Cannot wait for Volume 5.

May 6th, 2020 review:
So funny, love the pop culture references throughout, especially the music. This was a fun little adventure. 

Book 35: Murder on the Rockport Limited!

(The Adventure Zone Volume 2)

By Clint McElroy, Griffin McElroy, Justin McElroy, 

Travis McElroy, and Carey Pietsch

Read February 18th

Pages Read: 219

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 February 18th, 2023 review:
I had such a fun time this time around rereading this book and the rest of the series. Cannot wait for Volume 5. I definitely, have to check out the podcast sometime.

May 7th, 2020 review:
Loved this mystery and was not expecting some of the plot. These graphic novels are very enjoyable and make me really want to listen to the podcast. I can't wait to see where the next one takes our adventurers.

Book 36: Petals to the Metal

(The Adventure Zone Volume 3)

By Clint McElroy, Griffin McElroy, Justin McElroy, 

Travis McElroy, and Carey Pietsch

Read February 19th

Pages Read: 272

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 February 19th, 2023 review:
I had such a fun time this time around rereading this book and the rest of the series. Cannot wait for Volume 5. Really, enjoyed the romance again in this one. It was so adorable.

July 15th, 2020 review:
Love the humor, the pop culture references (especially "Grease Lightning"), and the little recap of the last book at the beginning. These graphic novels are definitely some of the funniest. I also really loved the little bit of romance in this one.

Book 37: The Crystal Kingdom

(The Adventure Zone Volume 4)

By Clint McElroy, Griffin McElroy, Justin McElroy, 

Travis McElroy, and Carey Pietsch

Read February 19th

Pages Read: 272

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 February 19th, 2023 review:
I had such a fun time this time around rereading this book and the rest of the series. Cannot wait for Volume 5. Not too long now!

July 14th, 2021 review:
This series keeps getting better and better. I love the pop culture references, humor, and storylines. These books are just so entertaining and fun. Can't wait for it to continue on.

Favorite Romance Books

 

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

Love/Valentine’s Day Freebie:

💌 Favorite Romance Books 💖

Happy Valentine's Day! For the freebie today, I decided to do my top 10 favorite romance books. Hope you all have a great rest of your week.

1. The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller-One of my top 10 favorite books. I adore Achilles and Patroclus's relationship so much. This is one of the most beautiful books that I ever read. 

Link to my review on Goodreads

2. Under the Whispering Door by T.J. Klune- One of the great books that I fell in love with last year.

Link to my review on this blog

3. Dearest Milton James by N.R. Walker- I love N. R. Walker's books and this one is my favorite of hers. Dead Letter's office stories are some of my favorites. Also, this has such a great love story between the main characters and another great one with two of the side characters. Beautiful!

Link to my review on Goodreads

4. The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna- Another of the great books that I read last year.

Link to my review on this blog

5. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen- One of my favorite classics of all-time. Love Darcy and Elizabeth's relationship

Link to my review on Goodreads

6. Self-Made Boys by Anna-Marie McLemore- A beautiful retelling of The Great Gatsby that was wonderful in every way. One of the best books, I read last year.

Link to my review on this blog

7. The North Wind by Alexandria Warwick- I love the story in this book and the hate-to-love romance.

Link to my review on this blog

8. The Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson-This would not be a favorite romance books list without this beauty. I adore Nathaniel and Elisabeth's relationship.

Link to my review on this blog

9. Stardust by Neil Gaiman- I was first introduced to this story in the movie back in 2010. It became my favorite movie and my favorite adaptation. Neil is one of my favorite authors and I adore the romance in this novel between Tristan and Yvaine.

10. The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger- My favorite book for the longest time was The Time Traveler's Wife. I still adore this book and it definitely has to make this list. 

Reviews Week 6

Reviews Week 6

February 6th-12th

Book 27: Northranger

By Rey Terciero

Read February 6th

Pages Read: 240

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I have never read Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey but I definitely plan on it now after reading this graphic novel. Rey explains at the end of this piece that he decided to write a more modern day take on that story with the main character being obsessed with horror movies instead of gothic books. This book had a very sweet male/male relationship between the main character Cade and new friend Henry, who has met at the ranch he is spending the summer at. 

 

The illustration style in this comic was stunning and it fit perfectly with the story. I loved the eerie feeling that we got from many of the scenes that went perfectly with how Cade was feeling at the time. Cade is dealing with having to be in a place that he doesn't feel comfortable in, a new relationship, and the homophobic/racist people in South Texas. Northranger was a great read that I highly recommend. This was an impactful book with messages that I connected to a lot even though I'm older than the target audience.

 

Also, I love that Rey has done other graphic novel retellings of classics. I own his Swan Lake: Quest for the Kingdoms book and plan on picking up his others. 

 

*Thank you to Netgalley for my ARC of this wonderful graphic novel. All of my opinions are my own.*

Book 28: The God of Endings

By Jacqueline Holland

Read February 5th-9th

Pages Read: 480

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 I was intrigued by this book as soon as I read its description. Then I heard that it is reminiscent of Interview with a Vampire and The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, and I got excited to read it. It did not disappoint me in the slightest. Jacqueline Holland's writing in this book was wonderful. She creates such an atmospheric world that has a feeling of horror, heartbreak, and mystery. The God of Endings is a vampire story at its heart, and I fell in love with it from the beginning. It questions the point of having an immortal life and what a person can do with it.

I enjoyed that we switched back and forth between Collette's (Anna's) past and her present day. It was great to learn so much about her life after she got turned. Those scenes help the reader learn even more about her as a character. Though, there were a couple of times that I wished we had stayed in the present-day scenes because of what was happening.

My favorite part of the story was the scenes from Collette's present day as a preschool teacher. Many of those scenes were heartbreaking, especially with Leo. As someone who has worked with children for over a decade, I connected a lot with what she was going through in those scenes. It was unexpected and undeniably both heartbreaking and beautiful. I could not help tearing up multiple times throughout the book, especially in the last chapter. This book touched my heart. I highly recommend it.

*Thank you so much to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC. I had such an incredible time reading this book.*

Book 29: Unfamiliar

By Haley Newsome

Read February 10th

Pages Read: 160

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 This is a cute witchy graphic novel. I enjoyed the kitchen witch main character Planchette, who has just moved into a new house in a new town and found out that her home is haunted. She makes new friends who help with her ghost problem. A cute story with an interesting illustration style. I will read the second volume that comes out later this year.

Book 30: Long Story Short: 100 Classic Books

 in Three Panels

By Lisa Brown

Read February 11th

Pages Read: 80

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 Short little takes on mostly classic books (some are newer books like Twilight, Harry Potter, etc.). Some of these comic takes on the books were quite humorous, but others were not as good. I like books like these that take classic tales and give the reader a different take on them. Long Story Short: 100 Classic Books in Three Panels has some good comics and ones that I did not enjoy.

Book 31: Healing Light

By Alexandra Villard de Borchgrave

Read February 12th

Pages Read: 94

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 A beautiful collection of poetry and artwork to go along with the poems. 

 

2023 Debut Books I’m Excited About

 Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

2023 Debut Books I’m Excited About

 Prompt: These can be actual brand new authors, age-group-shifting debuts like when a YA author writes their first adult book, or genre-shifting debuts like when an author who has always written romance releases a thriller.

1. The God of Endings by Jacqueline Holland- I have been looking forward to this novel ever since I first heard about it last year. Recently, I was lucky enough to get an ARC of it and started reading on Sunday night. It is absolutely wonderful so far. The novel follows the main character: Collette who runs a preschool focused on the arts for children in upstate New York. She is also a vampire that was turned by her grandfather over one hundred years before. The story switches between her present day life in 1984 and her past.

2. Psyche and Eros by Luna McNamara- The myth of the god Eros's relationship with Psyche has always been one of my favorites. As soon as I saw that this was coming out this year, I knew that I would have to read it. I cannot wait until it comes out in May. 

3. Midnight Strikes by Zeba Shahnaz- Time loop, a roguish prince, and court intrigue. This book sounds amazing and I cannot wait to read it when it comes out next month. Just a lot of fun.

4. Reynard's Tale: A Story of Love and Mischief by Ben Hatke- This is Ben Hatke's first project for adult readers. I have always loved the tales of Reynard the fox from folklore and am eagerly awaiting this book to come out in April. It will be great to see an adult take on his stories in the graphic novel format.

5. The Fifth Horseman: A Comic Fantasy That Rides Roughshod Over the Rules of Life… and Death by Jon Smith- This is Jon's adult debut and it sounds right up my alley. The Fifth Horseman is a comic tale about Grim reapers trying to prevent the End Times. It is being compared to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and is said to be perfect for fans of Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. I eagerly await to see how true this is. 

6. The Song of Us by Kate Fussner- A queer middle grade novel-in-verse retelling of the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice...YES! I have been excited for this ever since last year. I'm a huge mythology fan and I love the idea of this book so much. It sounds like a great middle grade read.

7. Solomon's Crown by Natasha Siegel- A queer enemies-to-lovers romance, set in medieval Europe sounds absolutely perfect. It is also being compared to The Song of Achilles but less tragic, which makes me so excited to read it.

8. The Long Run by James Acker- This book sounds very good and I look forward to reading it.

9. Godkiller by Hannah Kaner- I was first interested in this book because of the cover and the name, but then I read the description. This book sounds so good and I hope that it is as great as it sounds. Mythology is one of my favorite things, and I especially love when an author makes up their own. 

10. Juniper Harvey and the Vanishing Kingdom by Nina Varela- I already read this book earlier this year and highly enjoyed it. This is Nina's first middle grade novel and it was so much fun. I highly recommend it for middle grade fantasy lovers. If you are interested here is my review for the book: Juniper Harvey and the Vanishing Kingdom review.

Reviews Week 5

 Reviews Week 5

January 30th- February 5th

Book 22: Gallant

By V. E. Schwab

Read January 25th-31st

Pages Read: 334

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 This is my second V. E. Schwab book and I have got to say that I have fallen in love with the way she writes characters. Olivia’s story drew me in from the beginning of the book. I adored how we got bits and pieces of the the story throughout and slowly found out with Olivia what was happening. The pieces of her mother’s journals, the stunning drawings, and the mysterious master of the house where all pieces of a narrative that surprised me. Gallant intrigued me and had me wanting to know what would happen next the entire time. I loved the eerie setting and mood that filled this novel.

Book 23: New Lease of Life

By Lillian Francis

Read February 2nd

Pages Read: 231

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I liked this romance story between Phillip (Pip) and Colby. It was cute to see how their relationship developed over the course of the book and I always enjoy a grumpy character and a cheerful character together. The dynamic that develops between them was cute. Also, I enjoyed the sarcastic humor throughout the book and how they played off of each other. Colby is sweet and caring to Pip but he also does not let his grumpiness get to him. It was sweet. 

Book 24: The Collected Enchantments

By Theodora Goss

Read February 3rd-5th

Pages Read: 436

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This collection of fantastical short stories and poetry was quite a mixed bag for me. I loved many of Theodora's poems so much. They are different takes on fairy tales, folklore, or mythology, which really stand out. I adored her writing style and would read more of her work. Along with the poems, she has many short stories interspersed. I enjoyed quite a bit of those, especially "Christopher Raven."

Many of her short stories, though, were not for me. It took me forever to read some of them; they did not hold my interest in the way I want from fantasy. Though many of them were great, like I said about "Christopher Raven," that story was unique. They were different from what I wanted.
 
I recommend Theodora Goss's beautiful writing style for fantasy readers, especially her poetry. One of my favorite parts of the collection was her introduction: "Why I Write Fantasy." It was great to learn about her as a writer and these aspects can be seen in her writing.

 

*Thank you to Edelweiss for my ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.*

Book 25: The Sea in You

By  Jessi Sheron

Read February 5th

Pages Read: 224

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A wonderful queer graphic novel retelling of "The Little Mermaid" that I highly enjoyed. The art style of this graphic novel was stunning and I cannot wait to read what will happen next. I loved the twists to the original fairy tale and how Jessi took Corinth and Skylla's story. The Sea in You was absolutely beautiful in every way and I highly recommend it to fans of the original fairy tale. I will be picking up a copy for my collection.

 

*Thank you to Edelweiss for my ARC of this beautiful book. All opinions are my own.*  

Book 26: Disney One Saturday Morning Adventures

By Daan Jippes, Craig Boldman, 

and Stefan Petrucha

Read February 5th

Pages Read:192

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I grew up reading Disney Adventures magazine and watching all of these shows. Recess and The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh were definitely my favorites. Many of these comics I have seen before probably in Disney Adventures. I enjoyed reading these quite a bit and it made me think of how much I enjoyed these shows as a kid. Very nostalgic. These comics are definitely what you think they would be going into this book.

*Thank you to Edelweiss for my ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.* 

 

February 2023 TBR

January 2023 Reads