Reviews Archives - Page 6 of 21 - Brooke's Reviews and Sweeps

Pumpkinheads

By Brookelorren on October 24, 2019October 20, 2019Leave a Comment

I recently read Pumpkinheads, a graphic novel by Rainbow Rowell and Faith Erin Hicks. To be honest, I initially didn’t have interest in reading this book. I don’t really care for the title and I don’t read too many graphic novels. However, I’m really glad that I read it because it is cute and funny. It’s definitely worth five stars.

Josiah and Deja have worked at the pumpkin patch together for the past few years. Now they’re seniors in high school, and it’s their last night working together. They’re a little sad about it. Josiah is additionally sad because there’s a girl that works here that he has a crush on. The only thing is, he hasn’t been able to work up the nerve to talk to her for the past three years. Deja is about to make him change that.

The two spend the evening tracking down the girl of his dreams. Hilarity ensues, because this girl is not easy to find. Eventually, he does find her, but I won’t say what happens.

Pumpkinheads is appropriate for YA readers of all ages. Older middle grade readers might enjoy it also. I loved the two main characters. They have such a sweet friendship. The pumpkin patch setting is really cute too. There’s a map in the front of the book where you can follow their journey as they look for Josiah’s dream girl.

I loved the illustrations. I haven’t read a lot of graphic novels yet, but I enjoyed Faith Erin Hick’s style and would be interested in reading more books illustrated by her.

Pumpkinheads is the perfect October read if you’re looking for something that makes you think of Halloween but isn’t scary. I borrowed this book from the library, and there was a waiting list for this book. Happily, I got to borrow it before the Thanksgiving and Christmas season is upon us. I often read books several weeks (or more) before I get around to posting my review, but I wanted to make sure that I shared this excellent graphic novel with you while it’s still the season to read it. This is a quick read that I highly recommend. I’m passing it along to my boy to read before it’s due back at the library.

Across a Broken Shore

By Brookelorren on October 23, 2019October 23, 2019Leave a Comment

If you like historical novels set in the 20th century, I highly recommend Across a Broken Shore. I recently had the opportunity to read it (thank you to Netgalley and North Star Editions for the Advanced Reader Copy) and I thought it was fantastic.

Willa is an 18 year old girl in an Irish Catholic family in 1937. She has four older brothers, but since she’s the only girl, her parents expect her to become a nun (it’s tradition). The only problem is, she’s drawn to medicine instead. Her life changes after she meets a female doctor and she’s invited to become her medial assistant.

I love the setting in this book, which occurs in San Francisco during the Great Depression. Workers are building the Golden Gate Bridge; even then, men are clamoring to work there (even though the job is dangerous). Poverty is rampant; some people aren’t getting enough to eat. Although Willa’s family owns a tavern, she faces her own hardships. People don’t take women in medicine seriously. Parents feel like they can direct their children’s lives.

Willa is a great main character. She is torn between her family’s expectations and her own desires. On top of that, she feels guilt over an event that happened when she was twelve. She’s selfless and heedless of danger. Over the course of Across a Broken Shore, Willa learns to stand up for herself. She gains courage. I won’t tell you what her ultimate decision is, but for a while, I didn’t know which path she would take.

There is a little romance in this book. This is the 1930s, and Willa expects to go into a convent, so the book stays family-friendly. Across a Broken Shore is a YA book, although younger YA readers might not find the subject matter to be all that interesting.

Across a Broken Shore comes out on November 5th, but you can pre-order it now. If you enjoy books set in the Great Depression, books dealing with families and the pressures that they can put on you, or books about young ladies learning how to stand up for themselves in the world, this might be the book for you. I thought it was great.

Books Whose Titles Don’t Entice Me

By Brookelorren on October 21, 2019October 21, 201920 Comments

Hello and welcome to Top Ten Tuesday! Every week, we talk about books! Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl! Today we’re supposed to talk about books we’d give other titles to. I have a hard enough time coming up with titles to my own books, so I’ll just come up with lists of books whose titles don’t entice me. That doesn’t mean they’re not good books! Authors don’t always get to pick the titles to their own books. Anyway, here’s my list.

I don’t really care for the title Pumpkinheads. Nevertheless, I loved the book. I’m glad I read the synopsis to this book, because otherwise I might not have picked it up. I guess you can’t always judge a book by its title!

Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society

Last week, several people mentioned that they thought The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society was an extraordinary book title. It just shows you how people’s tastes are different. Don’t throw tomatoes at me, but the title seems like a snore to me. I’m sure it’s a delightful book, and I might read it someday. The title doesn’t grab me though.

Salt to the Sea is another one of those titles that makes me say… “I don’t know.” The description sounds really interesting though, and I liked Ruta Sepetys’s Fountains of Silence. At least when a book has a title I’m not so crazy about, other bloggers can tell whether a book is worth checking out.

The Divergent titles in German are pretty darn boring. It means something like “The Determination.” Yawn. On the other hand, Veronica Roth’s book Carve the Mark has a really awesome title in Spanish–Las Marcas de la Muerte— The Marks of Death. I like that one.

You can’t judge a book by its title. I wasn’t a really big fan of the title Strange the Dreamer when I first heard of it. That being said, I loved the book. In fact, all the books I was ‘meh’ on the title on this week’s list ended up being great books. That being said, this title has grown on me since it makes sense.

Echo North is another one of those books whose title sounds “meh.” The book sounds really interesting though.

An Affair of Poisons seems like it might be an old-fashioned kind of book. Again, the plot sounds interesting, but just going by the superficial aspects of this book, I might skip over it.

The title Blood Water Paint doesn’t sound that interesting either. I’ve seen the book before, but the uninteresting title has made my mind skip over it. Nevertheless, now that I’m looking at the synopsis, it looks interesting.

I’ve heard a lot of good things about A List of Cages. It sounds really good too. The title doesn’t really grab me though.

The tile Stain makes me not want to read it? This is another book that sounds interesting though.

They say you can’t judge a book by its cover. You can’t judge a book by its title either. Or its movie. I haven’t read all of these, but the ones I have read were good.

What books would you give different titles to? Are there some books that you adore but don’t care for the title? Next week is a Halloween freebie. I don’t really celebrate Halloween, but I have read a few paranormal, fall, or scary-ish stories lately, so I’ll probably do something along those lines.

The Bear and the Nightingale

By Brookelorren on October 17, 2019July 24, 2019Leave a Comment

Katherine Arden’s The Bear and the Nightingale is a story that reminds me of cold winter nights in front of a fire — which is why, after reading this book in April (when we were still receiving snowstorms in Colorado) that I thought it probably wouldn’t be a great idea to publish this review in July. This is a cold-weather tale.

The Bear and the Nightingale is set in early Russia, which is what drew me to the story in the first place. Some of the characters and places in the story were real, and the folklore is distinctly Russian as well, allowing you to immerse yourself into the life of an early Russian boyar family (boyars were wealthy landowners). Despite the characters being wealthy for their day, compared to the modern day, it feels very rural and peasant-like.

Vasilisa is the youngest daughter of one of these boyars, but she’s not like the other girls. She has the ability to see and communicate with the spirit world. She’s not interested in the two main career options available for young ladies at the time: marriage or life as a nun.

Her stepmother rejects the old folk religion in favor of Russian Orthodox Christianity. When a new priest comes to the village, he convinces the villagers to give up their old ways and to stop paying homage to the old spirits. This ends up having disastrous affects on the village. People end up blaming Vasilisa. She has to decide exactly what she wants, even if it means she has to risk even her life to get it.

The Bear and the Nightingale has this beautiful fairy-tale quality to it. It has the slow pacing of a medieval villager’s life, with gorgeous prose that evokes a life vastly different than our own. Yet, amongst the superstition and the harsh realities of village life, there’s the shining Vasilisa, who has the kind of determination and strength that was probably rare to see in that era.

If you’re looking for a fast-paced thriller, this isn’t it. But if you’re looking for a book that will evoke a long ago era, with a strong female character fighting a system built by overbearing men, you might like this book. It’s the kind of book that you want to read while sitting next to a fire while the snow softly falls outside the window.

While I thought the book was beautiful and I loved the main protagonist, it’s not a book I’m likely to gush about for the next several years. Still, I enjoyed it enough that I’d like to read the second book — probably sometime after the snows start falling again this winter.

War Girls

By Brookelorren on October 7, 2019October 6, 2019Leave a Comment

I recently read War Girls by Tochi Onyebuchi. An advanced reader copy was provided to me by Bookish First and Razorbill in exchange for an honest review (thank you!). Bookish first has a great program for getting physical ARCs. If you join and use referral code 56cf541090ca608b4 then you’ll help me get free books (and start earning free books for yourself too). Anyway, I liked this book, although the beginning was a little difficult for me.

Onyii and Ify are girls living in 2172 in Biafra, which is located in Africa near Nigeria. They are part of a group of girls hiding out from the Nigerians in a country that’s at war. Most of these girls have seen combat before, and Onyii has already lost her arm. When their camp is discovered, their lives are changed forever. Onyii and Ify, who were like sisters at the beginning of the book, spend the next several years apart.

What I Really Liked

War Girls is a compelling story. It’s actually inspired by an actual war that happened in Nigeria in the 1960s, which makes it even more interesting. I liked the characters of Onyii and Ify, and thought what happened to them was pretty tragic. They’re pretty strong characters, which draws me to them. The setting is unique, and it gives us a glimpse into the future which I hope won’t come to pass (although it’s unlikely that even the youngest of us will live to see it). The ending of the book was especially good, and makes me want to read the sequel when it comes out.

What I Liked Less

Familiarity tends to make a book easier to read. This is why I really enjoy books where I have things in common with the characters, whether it’s music, computers, or even snippets of a language I’m learning. Unique settings are cool too, but when things are too unfamiliar, it can be difficult getting into the book. The first couple of chapters of Carve the Mark were difficult for me the first time I read it because their society was so different (although with the vocabulary used).

I don’t know much about the Nigerian civil war. When the characters started throwing around terms like Biafra, Fulani, Igbo, and oyinbo, I get a little lost. I’m actually still not sure about all of these terms. While I’m trying to learn these new terms, there are a lot of characters I need to meet. It was a little overwhelming. Once everything became more familiar to me, the book picked up speed, but there was a little bit of a learning curve to this book.

Conclusion

If you’re looking for a book with badass girls in a unique setting (just look at the cover!), then you might want to pick up a copy of War Girls. However, because the setting is truly unique (unless you know a lot about Nigeria and/or it’s history) it may take a while to really get into the book. War Girls will be released on October 15th, but you can pre-order it at Amazon.com now.

The End and Other Beginnings

By Brookelorren on October 4, 2019October 4, 2019Leave a Comment

We finally got to October! The month itself isn’t particularly special to me; but it is the month that many of my most-anticipated books get released. The End and Other Beginnings was one of those books that I just had to have. It is a collection of six stories; three of them were published previously. Since these six stories vary, I will be reviewing all six stories separately.

Inertia

I first read “Inertia” in Summer Days and Summer Nights (link is to my review). I still love that story about as much as I did the first time I read it. This story will probably get the most rereads in this anthology. It’s a story about a girl whose former best friend is dying and they realize what they mean to each other.

The Spinners

“The Spinners” is a story about sisters. It’s also a story with aliens in it. I liked it, but not quite as much as “Inertia”.

Hearken

“Hearken” is a story where people naturally have a song, and these people called hearkeners are able to hear these songs. For some reason, hearkeners are revered in society. This is a world where evil people will set off bio-bombs in order to hasten the apocalypse. It had an interesting end.

Vim and Vigor

“Vim and Vigor” was a pretty cool story about friendship. Four friends bonded years ago over a group of female superheroes. Things happened, as some friendships do, and their friendship just isn’t the same. The ending was pretty sweet. If I was to rank the stories in The End and Other Beginnings, this one would be close to the top.

Armored Ones

“Armored Ones” contains two stories from the Carve the Mark universe. One is from Teka’s point of view, the other one is from Akos’s. While I knew there would be stories about Akos and Cyra in this book, I was kind of hoping that there would be stories that took place after The Fates Divide.

The Transformationist

“The Transformationist” is another story that takes place in the Carve the Mark universe, although it primarily takes place on Zold, with new characters. I enjoyed seeing a different part of the universe. The familiar planets and concepts brought me happiness.

While the last two stories take place in the Carve the Mark Universe, you can probably enjoy the story without reading the duology.

At 256 pages, The End and Other Beginnings was a quick read. I really liked it, and I’m sure I’ll be reading these stories again in the future. Three of these stories were previously published, so if you already have the original anthologies, you might be less inclined to get this book. If you haven’t read the Carve the Mark duology, you might still enjoy the last two stories, but you’ll appreciate them more if you’re familiar with that universe. At $15 for a hardback, it might not be worth the money if you already have her stories in previous anthologies and haven’t read Carve the Mark, but since I don’t have her previous anthologies and did read her duology, it was worth it to me.

Rivals! Frenemies Who Changed the World

By Brookelorren on October 3, 2019October 3, 2019Leave a Comment

Over the summer, my boy and I listened to Rivals! Frenemies Who Changed the World by Scott McCormick. This Audible Original contains four entertaining stories about rivals whose feuds changed the way we live in the world today. All four stories were different, and it’s likely that you’ll learn something from this book.

The four stories in this book were as follows:

Cope vs. Marsh – these two rivals tried to become the most celebrated paleontologists in the land. They weren’t afraid to play dirty either. In their rush to be the best, some of their discoveries introduced confusion into the scientific world. But they did discover dinosaurs.
Queen Elizabeth vs. Mary Queen of Scots – their rivalry determined the fate of England. If Mary Queen of Scots (who sounded like a Valley Girl in this audiobook) had one, the country would have become Catholic, and history would have changed.
Adidas vs. Puma – This shoe rivalry split a town and created the sports industry we know of today. In this book we find out why Adidas has a three-stripe logo, how it got its name, and other interesting tidbits that you never knew you wanted to know about the shoe industry.
Hamilton vs. Burr – You may know that Alexander Hamilton was killed in a duel with Aaron Burr. In this story, you’ll learn all you wanted to know about duels (probably), some interesting political facts, and that Burr probably wasn’t the bad guy we think he is.

Rivals! Frenemies Who Changed the World was entertaining and well-acted. There were sound effects that added to the drama and comedy. This book might not be too exciting for younger kids, but it is entertaining for upper Middle Grade/Lower YA listeners. Even though its intended audience is younger, there’s enough interesting facts to make this entertaining for adults too.

If you’re an Audible member, I wouldn’t waste a credit on this book, unless you get an amazingly sweet deal on credits. The book is less than $5 (at least for Audible members). This is a book I’d recommend for listening to in the car with your kids.

Rebel: The Legend Finale

By Brookelorren on October 1, 2019October 1, 2019Leave a Comment

At 10 PM my time, the stunning conclusion to Marie Lu’s Legend tetralogy, Rebel, came out. I stayed up all night to read it, and I wasn’t disappointed.

This review contains spoilers for the rest of the series.

When we last left Day and June, it was July 11, 2142. It had been ten years since Daniel (going by Day at the time) had nearly died and woke up with amnesia. After ten years living in Ross City, Antarctica, Eden was interviewing for an internship back in the Republic. At a train station, Daniel “met” June for the second time.

Rebel starts a month later. Daniel and June hadn’t talked much since that night, but June and the elector were going to visit Ross City. Despite their years apart and the amnesia thing, deep down, Daniel never stopped loving June. But are they too different now?

Eden

Rebel begins with Eden. I just want to give him a hug. He’s been living in his brother’s shadow his whole life. He’s hella smart, and shares the Wing boys’ compassion for the little guy. Even though Antarctica’s gamified level system is supposed to create a meritocracy, the way it’s implemented is unfair. Eden is bothered by this and is drawn to the dark side. Is he going down the path to self-destruction? Can his brother save him, or will their relationship be irreparably harmed? There’s some really great brother moments in this story.

Worldbuilding

I loved the worldbuilding in Rebel and how this book ties into the other books in the Luniverse. The Antarctican level system was obviously built on programming developed by Hideo Tanaka for the Warcross game. The book subtly mentions this game that once took the world by storm. The characters return to Los Angeles, which beautifully illustrates what the world might be like if it was recovering from a backwards dictatorship.

Daniel + June

If you read Champion (which you probably should before reading Rebel) then you’ve probably wondered whether Day and June really get back together.

So what happens? Daniel has never forgotten about her. There are some really cute moments in this book. Daniel, who has probably never had an awkward moment with a girl in his life, doesn’t know how to react around his former love. It’s absolutely adorable. They still have feelings for each other, but has too much changed? You’ll have to read the book to find out.

Conclusion

If you didn’t pre-order this book (and have already read the other three books in this series) then run to your nearest bookseller and buy it. I’m definitely going to read this book again sometime after my hardcover edition has arrived. Rebel has the satisfying finale that we’ve all been waiting for. I loved it. How much did I love it? It’s a contender for my favorite book this year. I stayed up past 7 AM to read it. To quote page 376, after reading this book, “the final puzzle piece of my heart has fallen into place.”

Allegedly – Not What I Expected

By Brookelorren on September 26, 2019July 24, 20194 Comments

Allegedly by Tiffany D. Jackson was not quite what I expected. It was a twisty ride with high stakes, moral ambiguity and a (perhaps) unreliable narrator. I recently read it and thought it was great.

Mary is sixteen years old, but she’s already a criminal in the eyes of the justice system. At age 9, she killed a baby. Allegedly. If the baby hadn’t been white, and she hadn’t been black, her story probably would have turned out differently.

We don’t find out the entirety of what happened until the very end, but we are slowly given details about the night baby Alyssa died as the story unfolds. Mary is neither the demon that the press makes her out to be, nor is she the perfect saint she thinks she is. And her upbringing, prior to baby Alyssa’s death, was certainly lacking, to say the least.

Allegedly is a great story and Mary makes an interesting narrator. In addition to being an engaging story, it raises questions about the criminal justice system in general. How do the courts treat people of color compared to white people? What about when people age out of the foster care system? What about the way teens in group homes are treated? The story has several levels of depth.

The ending… well. I wasn’t expecting that. I can’t really say much about it without giving away spoilers, but it certainly made me think.

Overall, I definitely recommend this book. It’s not a feel-good beach read or a happily ever after, but if you’re in the mood for something a little dark, then perhaps you’ll want to check out this book. The main character is both sympathetic and a little disturbed at the same time, the supporting characters are mostly disturbed, but it’s a book you won’t want to put down.

Cilka’s Journey

By Brookelorren on September 23, 2019September 22, 2019Leave a Comment

I recently read Cilka’s Journey by Heather Morris. She is the author of The Tattooist of Auschwitz, which I’ve heard of before and haven’t had the chance to read yet. Evidently, some of the characters in this story are in her other book. This was an enjoyable book that brings to light events that nobody really liked to talk about after World War II: what happened to some of the survivors.

After the concentration camps were liberated at the end of World War II, survivors still had a harrowing journey ahead of them. For some, their horrors weren’t over. Some of the newly liberated women were further victimized by their liberators. While people like Corrie Ten Boom spoke about forgiveness in The Hiding Place, not everybody was willing to be so understanding. Cilka Klein was one of those people who did not receive forgiveness from her liberators. After being raped for three years in a concentration camp, the Russians accused her of “sleeping with the enemy” and spying and was sentenced to a further 15 years of hard labor in a Siberian gulag.

Cilka’s Journey is based on a true story. It does a good job of portraying life in the gulag. The prisoners faced backbreaking labor, poor food, and horrid living conditions. The men victimized the women further. It’s not surprising that many people died there. Eventually, Cilka improved her life somewhat, but she was still in prison.

Cilka is the kind of person you want to root for. She often thought about others before she thought about herself. In addition to being kind, she repeatedly demonstrates bravery. You do get to find out what finally happens to her, but I don’t want to give away the ending.

Even though Cilka’s Journey deals with difficult topics, it is not overly graphic. Still, it has violence and sexual assault, which could be a trigger to some people.

The book is well-researched and contains a lot of accurate history inside. I like how Ms. Morris included an author’s note at the end telling the facts about Cilka. She also included information about the gulag she spent time in. I thought they were good touches.

Overall, I really liked Cilka’s Journey. It’s an important story that tells about a part of history that is often overlooked: what happened to some Holocaust survivors. I recommend it to people that are interested in World War II. I didn’t read The Tattooist of Auschwitz before reading this book. The book would probably be better if I had read that one first, but it’s not necessary.