All posts by skyebjenner

To All the Boy’s I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han

Book Review, , , , ,
Overview
To All the Boys I've Loved Before

Title: To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before
Author: Jenny Han
Series: To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before #1
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Chic lit, Contemporary, Easy reading, Romance
Pace: Slow
Format: Novel
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Year: 2014
5th sentence, 74th page: To me!

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Synopsis

Lara Jean keeps her love letters in a hatbox her mother gave her.

They aren’t love letters that anyone else wrote for her; these are ones she’s written. One for every boy she’s ever loved – five in all. When she writes, she can pour out her heart and soul and say all the things she would never say in real life, because her letters are for her eyes only. Until the day her secrets letters are mailed, and suddenly Lara Jean’s love life goes from imaginary to out of control.

Thoughts

I absolutely loved the Netflix movie of this. It left me with such a happy, little feel good moment after I finished it. So I figured that the book (and as I soon found out the trilogy) would be an interesting read. And, since I finished it in one sitting, and then bought every other Jenny Han book that I could find, it was certainly an enjoyable read.

This was an easy, simple, happy read that made me incredibly happy. It was just a nice journey through a sixteen year old’s mind as she tries to navigate the trials of falling in love, becoming an adult and just generally dealing with other people. Because, as it becomes incredibly obvious throughout To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, people can seriously suck! Although, there are also moments that really remind you how awesome they can be as well. Especially Lara Jean’s relationship with her family. She obviously dearly loves her father – she constantly calls him Daddy (I actually found the constant referral, even in front of others of ‘Daddy’ to be quite annoying). She has a great relationship with her sisters. She misses Margot dearly when she’s gone and spends a lot of time with Kitty.

For as much as the relationships in this cute little romance are realistic, it’s the sisterhood bond that I loved the most. There is so much love in every moment. But there is also a lot of vindictiveness and pettiness. I have a sister. We love each other till the ends of the earth. But we would also do and say horrible things to each other. After all, we are stuck with each for the rest of our lives… and when you are with someone day in and day out, you get to a point that you kind of want to kill each other… and in To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before it’s that exact revenge-driven, love you emotion that only a sister can understand that starts the entire saga.

 <- Always and Forever, Lara Jean ReviewP.S. I Still Love You Review ->
Image source: Amazon

Old School by Mark Onspaugh

Book Review, , , ,

Overview

Blood LiteTitle: Old School
Author: Mark Onspaugh
In: Blood Lite (Kevin J. Anderson)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Comedy, Fantasy, Zombies
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: Pocket Books
Year: 2008
5th sentence, 74th page: It wasn’t even Old English like Chaucer or something.

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Synopsis

Onspaugh reminds us that there is a reason you should never play with that which you don’t understand…

Thoughts

This is an incredibly quick, short, sharp and shiny tale. That mostly reminds us not to play with zombies, rituals and reincarnations of any shape or kind.

Six pages and the story has been through an entire rollercoaster of beginning, middle and end. And the only message and idea that I got from it was that I’m not reading out or performing any rituals at any point in time.

I repeat. Do not perform seances, rituals, anything of the sort. Unless you really, really, really know what you’re doing. Otherwise you’ll end up like the people in this story…

 <- No Problem Review The Sound of Blunder Review ->
Image source: Goodreads

Escape from Wolfhaven Castle by Kate Forsyth

Book Review, , , , ,

Overview

Escape from Wolfhaven CastleTitle: Escape from Wolfhaven Castle
Author: Kate Forsyth
Series: The Impossible Quest #1
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Adventure, Australian authors, Easy reading, Medieval fantasy
Pace: Medium
Format: Novel
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Year: 2014
5th sentence, 74th page: Elanor screamed.

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Synopsis

Tell your lord to beware, the wolves smell danger in the wind…

Wolfhaven Castle has been attacked, and only four escape capture… Tom, trained to scrub pots, not fight; Elanor, the lord’s daughter; Sebastian, a knight in training; and Quinn, the witch’s apprentice.

Somehow, if they are to save their people, these unlikely heroes must find four magical beasts from legend. But first, they have to make it out of the castle alive…

Thoughts

This is a beautifully easy, fun and light-hearted book. With enough of an adventure-based storyline to make you reluctant to put it down. At least as an adult. I’m sure if this was around when I was a child, I would be far more involved in the storyline and think it was a more intense literary experience than I do as a more widely read adult.

I like the four young adults in this story – they’re on the cusp of adulthood and finding their own way. But there is already a sense of comradery and togetherness that works from the very outset. Each of the four is given their own gifts (literally and metaphorically) and although there is just an inkling in the first of The Impossible Quest, there are hints that these are going to develop in so many ways.

This is a pretty typical young adult, coming of age adventure story. Which is why it’s so lovely. Forsyth has an amazing way with words and this helps to spin a vivid and intriguing storyline. Partner this with that beloved simplicity of the genre and the idea that both fate and courage play a part… and Escape from Wolfhaven Castle is a great introduction to a new world and an epic quest.

 <- Battle of the Heroes Review Wolves of the Witchwood Review ->
Image source: Booktopia

The Effluent Engine by N.K. Jemisin

Book Review, , , , ,

Overview

The Mammoth Book of SteampunkTitle: The Effluent Engine
Author: N.K. Jemisin
In: The Mammoth Book of Steampunk (Sean Wallace) & The Mammoth Book of Gaslit Romance (Ekaterina Sedia)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Easy reading, LGBTQI, Steampunk
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: Robinson
Year: 2011
5th sentence, 74th page: Jessaline beheld the honest shock on her face and felt some guilt for having troubled her so.

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Synopsis

Jessaline is on a mission to save her people. But what she finds could end up saving herself.

Thoughts

Reading the title of this short story made me think it was going to be really funny. And a little quirky. And it really wasn’t. There was discussion of minorities, freedom and prejudice. All topics that I love to read about and sink my teeth into on a frequent basis.

Jessaline is on a mission to save her countrymen from the horrors of conquest and the taking of their freedom. Yet, on the way she ends up finding something much better – true love. Or at least, that’s how it seems throughout. And the fact that it’s a woman based in “olden times” just makes it all the more engaging. I kind of loved that the love story in this was about two women.

With a backdrop of a steampunk world with one of the leading females being a scientist, this story shows the power of others and how inner strength can shine through. Whether you are living in your brothers shadow, or hiding amongst the shadows as a spy…

 <- Prayers of Forges and Furnaces Review The Clockwork Goat and the Smokestack Magi Review ->
Image source: Amazon

Judgment Road by Christine Feehan

Book Review, , , , ,

Overview

Judgment RoadTitle: Judgment Road
Author: Christine Feehan
Series: Torpedo Ink #1, Sea Haven #14
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Assassins, Bikers, Paranormal romance
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: Jove
Year: 2018
5th sentence, 74th page: “I’m not the best interior designer,” she said, lying her ass off.

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Synopsis

A brutal education in a Russian training facility for assassins has taught this group of men one thing: It’s a long road to redemption.

As the enforcer of the Torpedo Ink morotcycle club, Reaper lives for riding and fighting. He’s a stone-cold killer who turns his wrath on those who deserve it. Feelings are a weakness he can’t afford – until a gorgeous bartender gets under his skin…

Near Sea Haven, the small town of Caspar has given Anya Rafferty a new lease on life. And she’s desperate to hold on to her job at the biker bar, even if the scariest member of the club seems to have it out for her. But Reaper’s imposing presence and smoldering looks just ratchet up the heat.

Anya’s touch is everything Reaper doesn’t want – and it brands him to the bone. But when her secrets catch up to her, Reaper will have to choose between Anya and his club – his heart and his soul.

Thoughts

This is a completely new tone of voice within the Sea Haven series. It isn’t about sisterhood and it doesn’t have that underlying, feminine sweetness to the tale that I’ve come used to in the stories in this world. There is something far more rugged and intense about the tales and the total violence throughout make it kind of hard to put down.

I’ve been reading a lot of Christine Feehan books lately and there is a certain sameness to the stories. They often feature a fairly damaged and useless man who falls in love with a woman and trouble ensues. I liked that Anya had quite a bit of spice to her though, and although there were moments when I thought I knew what was going to happen, there were a few tricks that I wasn’t quite expecting. I was actually screaming “No Reaper you fucking idiot” at one point at the book. I got that tied up in what was going on.

Where Drake Sisters and Sisters of the Heart heavily tie into one another in not only the storyline, themes and feeling, the first book in Torpedo Ink departs from that. Yes, there are still mentions of previous characters. And it is set in the town over, but the world in which Reaper and Anya find their feet and their love is completely different. And this is a fact that I kind of love… after thirteen beautiful, but similarly themed books, it’s nice to depart to something slightly different. That’s not to say any less engaging or intriguing though.

My biggest regret about this book is that it finishes off all of the Sea Haven books which have been published to date. I now have to wait until January for the next Sea Haven fix. And I’m quite frankly, not sure I can actually wait for that long…

 <- Bound Together Review Vengeance Road Review ->
Image source: Christine Feehan

The Houndmaster by Sandra Newgent

Book Review, , , , ,

Overview

The Mammoth Book of Irish RomanceTitle: The Houndmaster

Author: Sandra Newgent

In: The Mammoth Book of Irish Romance (Trisha Telep)

Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)

My Bookshelves: Celtic, Easy reading, Family, Romance

Pace: Fast

Format: Short story

Publisher: Running Press

Year: 2010

5th sentence, 74th page: He held it high, admiring the graceful curves of thehammered gold cup.

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Synopsis

She wants to return her mother to life and fix the wrongs of the past. But when a man with a haunting secret interrupts her, everything changes in the blink of an eye.

Thoughts

This was a really fun and easy story to read. And it came up in my collection at exactly the right time… I had been having trouble sleeping / nightmares about my usual terrors, so I decided to read to try and get my mind off of things. And I read The Houndmaster which was incredibly beautiful and romantic.

Hellhounds is a relatively new concept to me, which makes any story that features them a new and exciting adventure. The idea that the male love interest in this story has an intricate connection to the hell beasties and the lady had witnessed their evil ferocity worked really nicely. The overarching connection between the two is both wonderfully fateful and a little overbearing.

Although I can remember the feelings that this story left me with, there are no incredibly potent moments. But that works for me… it’s sometimes nice to have a great feeling after reading a simple story. One that doesn’t necessarily linger, but still makes you feel happy and content inside.

 <- The Skrying Glass Review The Seventh Sister Review ->
Image source: Goodreads

Bound Together by Christine Feehan

Book Review, , , , , ,

Overview

Bound TogetherTitle: Bound Together
Author: Christine Feehan
Series: Sisters of the Heart #6, Sea Haven #13
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: The Coast, Family, Magic, Paranormal romance
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: Jove
Year: 2017
5th sentence, 74th page: The knots in her stomach told her she was a liar, but no one else – not even Viktor – ever had to know that.

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Synopsis

For five years, Viktor Prakenskii has put his life on hold in order to take down the world’s most feared motorcycle club from the inside. But carrying out the insane violence and seeing the club’s exploitation of the innocent has brought his traumatic past roaring back. And there’s only one cure: to see the wife he left behind…

Blythe Daniels thought she’d never see Viktor again after he murdered her stepfather and left without a word. She rebuilt her life without him, becoming a personal trainer and physical therapist… becoming strong enough for others to lean on. But when Viktor comes back to Sea Haven, he’ll make Blythe question everything she thought she know about good and evil – and the dark desires of the heart…

Thoughts

My first thought on finishing this book was “Yup. Everyone’s dead.” And then I smiled.

Which was a good thought. All of the bad guys that have haunted Sea Haven until this point (or at least, the really evil guy) are finally gone. Which is unbelievably relieving. And it gives this great idea that the next Sea Haven series, Torpedo Ink is at the very least, going to start with everyone trying to rebuild their lives. Which is exactly what I wanted for this incredibly rough and tumble group of characters. My main disappointment is that the only book currently published in this (I’m assuming 17-part sub-series) is Judgment Road.

Meeting Viktor in Fire Bound was kind of annoying, although you can tell that he and Blythe are obviously meant for each other, he was kind of a douche. And there is the idea that Blythe has no idea what he has done behind her back. So reading about their reconciliation and the reasons behind his choices (still made him a douche, but a more understandable one) was an absolute page-turner. Actually, I just stayed up until 2am just trying to find out how it was going to end for all of them. Not just Viktor and Blythe, but the rest of Torpedo Ink and even the Drake Sisters.

I love that this entire series ties in to every other book and the two series are seamlessly worked together. You could read each series independently of each other but reading all of them in order is even better. And the fact that each sub-series (so far) has tied up all of the loose ends at the conclusion meant that Bound Together, like Hidden Currents was completely impossible to put down. After all, I didn’t only want to see what was happening to the Sisters of the Heart, but also The Drake Sisters…

 <- Fire Bound Review Judgment Road Review ->
Image source: Christine Feehan

Coming Home by Lilith Saintcrow

Book Review, , , , ,

Overview

The Mammoth Book of Vampire RomanceTitle: Coming Home
Author: Lilith Saintcrow
Series: Dante Valentine #5.5
In: The Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance (Trisha Telep)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Demons, Paranormal fantasy, Urban fantasy
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: Robinson
Year: 2008
5th sentence, 74th page: I wonder if he’ll show up.

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Synopsis

A past love shows up at Liana’s doorstep asking for help. Will she have the strength to say no? Or will it continue to drag up memories from her past?

Thoughts

To be honest, I’m not 100% sure of what was going on in a lot of this story. It takes place at the end of a series and it makes it incredibly hard to truly understand the tensions that are occurring throughout the story. But that doesn’t mean that I didn’t go out and buy the first book in the series as soon as I was finished.

For me, this story opens up a whole new world in my mind’s eye. A world of vampires and demons and some kind of assassin. And I can’t wait to find out more about it. Even in this short story, there is this amazing world building, complex relationships and a past that is haunting the protagonist. All in all, a fantastic introduction into a new world that I now have to await to arrive at my doorstep.

 <- Brother’s Keeper Review Working for the Devil Review ->
Image source: Goodreads

No Problem by Don D’Amassa

Book Review, , , ,

Overview

Blood LiteTitle: No Problem
Author: Don D’Amassa
In: Blood Lite (Kevin J. Anderson)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Comedy, Dark fantasy, Easy reading
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: Pocket Books
Year: 2008
5th sentence, 74th page: I didn’t invite him in.

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Synopsis

Frankenstein’s many greats- grandson has discovered his secret formula for life. And it’s no problem at all… until it becomes a problem.

Thoughts

This was a twisted, funny and kind of problematic story. One thing after another goes wrong. Again and again and again. Which is, quite frankly, hilarious. And also painful. The man makes one wrong decision after another.

I like the references to Frankenstein and that his many-greats-grandson follows much the same path of foolishness. Having only read Frankenstein earlier this year, it was fun to read such a humorous little tale loosely based on this. And now it just makes me want to pick up the original classic again…

 <- Elvis Presley and the Bloodsucker Blues Review Old School Review ->
Image source: Goodreads

Prayers of Forges and Furnaces by Aliette de Bodard

Book Review, , , , ,

Overview

The Mammoth Book of SteampunkTitle: Prayers of Forges and Furnaces
Author: Aliette de Bodard
In: The Mammoth Book of Steampunk (Sean Wallace)
Rating Out of 5: 3.5 (Liked this)
My Bookshelves: Easy reading, Mythology, Steampunk
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: Robinson
Year: 
5th sentence, 74th page: And he picked up his things, one by one, and left.

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Synopsis

She meets an old god who wants her help in destroying the world that she knows. In risking everything, she learns the true meaning of sacrifice.

Thoughts

I was quite surprised by this short story. Not because of the steampunk themes and threads running throughout, but because of the Mayan theme to it. Somehow I never really associated steampunk with Mayan. And, weirdly enough, it worked incredibly well.

Mayan mythology has a heavy influence of sacrifice and gods that aren’t actually “good” and this story is no different. It features a horrible god and sacrifice. The fact that the sacrifice actually got to live was kind of a surprise, and it worked so unbelievably well. It just didn’t really capture my attention like many of the other stories in this collection…

 <- The Mechanical Aviary of Emperor Jala-ud-din Muhammad Akbar Review The Effluent Engine Review ->
Image source: Amazon