I hate spending time reading about the plot of a book on review sites - just tell me, Did you like it or not?

Tuesday, November 9, 2021

Alone

AloneAlone by Megan E. Freeman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a very quick - like 3 hours - read. And once I got past the slightly annoying format it was written in, I was hooked. I'm a sucker for survival stories, and this one was pretty good. It was a bit superficial and unrealistic - it definitely didn't go into techniques or more in-depth modes of surviving - but it was an engaging and age-appropriate book for middle grades. A few instances of very mild swearing, no violence and some short scenes of mortal peril. Recommend.

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Tuesday, May 4, 2021

Spinning SilverSpinning Silver by Naomi Novik
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

3.75 stars. ALMOST a 4.
A lot of people really, really like this book, and I admit, it was good. For the most part. It had an engaging plot and respectably fleshed out characters - whose own plot lines interconnected in interesting ways. Dialogue was decent. Setting was good - Russia is always good for a tragic tale. Do you sense a big "but" coming? You're right. ... BUT I just didn't click with the entirety of the thing. I don't want to call it a slog, but it was teetering on the edge. You know that compulsion you get when you find a book that you just CAN'T put down? Yeah, I didn't get that with this. There were too many irksome things in it.
For example, I especially got frustrated with the tsar's character plot line. What the heck? That poor guy got trapped into some stuff he had no input on and no possible way to escape. He, in my opinion, was the most misunderstood, tragic and innocent character in the whole book. And do we find out what happens to him after the end? Nope. Nope-ity nope.
Wanda, too, - in fact, her brothers as well - were all tragic characters - and they are left at the end doing what?
There just seemed to be a lot of loose ends at the end. Nothing was sufficiently and satisfyingly ended.
Honestly, the only real reason I kept reading is because so many of my friends gave this book 5 stars. It deserved that rating on the "cleanness" scale. It had zero swearing and sex. But it was a bit disappointing. Sorry, guys.

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Tuesday, April 13, 2021

Defy the Fates (Constellation, #3)Defy the Fates by Claudia Gray
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A great finish to a fantastic YA sci-fi adventure. Still clean and full of action and morality questions. Glad I read it.

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Thursday, April 8, 2021

Defy the Worlds (Constellation, #2)Defy the Worlds by Claudia Gray
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I tore through this book. And although I enjoyed the plot and action and the relative cleanliness of the book, it also contains and delves in to complex moral questions of artificial intelligence and what is the threshold for what constitutes life. I’m already reading the last book in this trilogy.

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Tuesday, April 6, 2021

Defy the Stars (Constellation, #1)Defy the Stars by Claudia Gray
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Update Mar. 1, 2021: I have re-read this and I still loved it! Now I'm going to binge on the trilogy!

After reading the epic Pillars of the Earth, I needed something a little less involved and this was perfect. Almost totally clean and chock full of adventure and action, with some ethics and morality thrown in. I can't wait to read the next in the series.

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Thursday, April 1, 2021

The Last Unicorn (The Last Unicorn, #1)The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I liked this pretty well, I guess. It's definitely a different sort of writing than I'm used to - more lyrical and meandering, than illustrative and to the point. The plot is good - simple and clear - yet without the mellifluous prose and recurring poetry, it could have been condensed into 50 pages. Many plot points and characters are not explained fully - no back stories are given. Characters are one-dimensional and uncomplicated. Fortunately, it's short - and if you're a fantasy fan, apparently you have to read this. Am I glad I did? I suppose.
Totally clean, with very minimal violence and no sex or swearing.

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Tuesday, March 30, 2021

Legendborn (Legendborn, #1)Legendborn by Tracy Deonn
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I just could not get into this book. It seemed like such a chore to pick up. I so wanted to like it, and I gave it my best, but it did not hold my attention. DNF at 62%

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Thursday, March 25, 2021

The Little Bookshop on the Seine (The Little Paris Collection, #1; The Bookshop, #2)The Little Bookshop on the Seine by Rebecca Raisin
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I was so bored with this book. I got to 25% and skipped to the end so see what would happen ... which I NEVER DO. What I read there made me glad that I didn't spend all those hours reading the whole book. There was no spark, no excitement, no "grabbing" in the words on the page. I just couldn't do it anymore.

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Tuesday, March 23, 2021

Catalyst (Insignia, #3)Catalyst by S.J. Kincaid
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The final book in this trilogy was bloody and disturbing. And it taught some questionable ethics. But I will say that it was exciting and had a satisfying James Bond-esque ending of the villain.
I did mostly skip the part that’s in space, because it was boring. I basically just skimmed it for any important developments. There was one major development, and it could have been condensed into a couple of pages instead of all.those.pages. If you’ve read it, you know what I’m talking about.
But happily, still no swearing or sex. That is rare and commendable.

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Thursday, March 18, 2021

Vortex (Insignia, #2)Vortex by S.J. Kincaid
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This one definitely wasn't as good as the first book, but it moved along at an OK clip and for the most part kept me interested. I probably will read the last book, just to see how it all ends.
Still no swearing or sex.

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Tuesday, March 16, 2021

Insignia (Insignia, #1)Insignia by S.J. Kincaid
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Update: I re-read this yesterday. It was just as good as I remembered it. Now I’m determined to read the whole trilogy, since I somehow forgot to get #2 after I read this 5 years ago.


I liked this YA sci-fi thriller a lot. It reminded me of Ernest Cline's Armada at the beginning, but quickly took on shades of Ender's Game. I am going to look into the next in the trilogy. No swearing or sex, so I can recommend fully!

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Thursday, March 11, 2021

The Kiss of a Stranger (The Jonquil Brothers, #0)The Kiss of a Stranger by Sarah M. Eden
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

3.75 stars. Cute book. A bit repetitious in places, but very clean and sweet. I can recommend Sarah Eden’s books to anyone who doesn’t want to worry about inappropriate content, but also wants something thought-provoking. This book touches on abuse. The ending is satisfying and happy, though. I liked it.

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Tuesday, March 9, 2021

An Ivy Hill Christmas (Tales from Ivy Hill)An Ivy Hill Christmas by Julie Klassen
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This definitely falls into the realm of Christian romance ... so you know it’s going to be squeaky clean. Uplifting, but slightly heavy on the “cheese” factor. I’m not a huge fan of super overt, in-your-face preaching, and this book got pretty close to that. And the ending was weird. Hence the three stars.

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Thursday, March 4, 2021

The Star-Crossed Sisters of TuscanyThe Star-Crossed Sisters of Tuscany by Lori Nelson Spielman
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I liked this book well enough - although the message of "you've got to put make-up on and dress nicer and change your glasses to make people like you and notice you" was not great. I did like the twist at the end, although the "what" was slightly predictable, if not the "how."
Some swearing and crude innuendo, and some glossed-over sex.

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Tuesday, March 2, 2021

Ready Player Two (Ready Player One, #2)Ready Player Two by Ernest Cline
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Unfortunately, No. 2 wasn't nearly as good as No. 1. The ending was just ... odd and less-than-satisfying. But just like the first one, it was liberally sprinkled with f-bombs and other swears. No sex, and only moderate video game violence. It also is chock-full of 80's and 90's references - most of which I got, and some I didn't. You can totally get your geek on in this book.
But if the next one is worse than this one (if there is one), I'm predicting it will be "Game Over" for me with this author.

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Thursday, February 25, 2021

From Blood and Ash (Blood and Ash, #1)From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout


Just so I'm not tempted to pick this up again, the start of the story we find ourselves in a brothel. And it just went downhill from there. I got 26% through the book before giving up.

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Tuesday, February 23, 2021

The UnhoneymoonersThe Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A fun, quick read. I stayed up waaaay too late last night reading it. Satisfying ending.
Why only three stars? The language was rough and completely unnecessary, and there was one slightly graphic sex scene. If that doesn't bother you, it's a 4 star book.

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Thursday, February 18, 2021

Romancing Daphne (The Lancaster Family, #3)Romancing Daphne by Sarah M. Eden
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I love reading these books. They are a great escape from the monotony that is CoronaLife right now. This one had more "meat" to it than some of Eden's other books. It delves into neglect and honesty and forgiveness. Clean.

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Thursday, February 11, 2021

An Unlikely MatchAn Unlikely Match by Sarah M. Eden
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

3.5 stars. I this is Eden's attempt at a Gothic/ghost/supernatural/love story. She does a pretty decent job. I'm so happy Eden has written a lot. She's my go-to author when I need a pick-me-up and a guaranteed happy ending. Thank you Sarah M. Eden!

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Monday, February 8, 2021