Tuesday Book Review on Wednesday

Five-star review of Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

This story went from the cliched romantic triangle between a poor girl who doesn’t know the powers she possesses, her childhood friend and a handsome and magnetic powerful man to something much more sinister. Alina and her friend Mal grew up as orphans under the benevolent watch of a nobleman. When they leave they become soldiers but crossing the shadow fold, a dark and mysterious area between Ravka and the sea, Alina releases the magic inside her. She is selected to be one of the Grisha and catches the eye of the Darkling. Alina’s character arc is off to a good start in this book. I loved that many names are echoes of places in Russia and are vividly described. I’ll continue this series to find out what happens next.

Tuesday Book Review

Five-star review of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

I laughed in many places as I read Eleanor’s story even though she’d had a traumatic childhood and the results, combined with possible neurodivergence, left her at thirty as a lonely office worker in Glasgow. Much of the humor came from Eleanor’s lack of knowledge about some of the stupid and silly things people do. It sometimes felt like she’d come from another planet as she learned about some of society’s quirks because of her growing friendship with Raymond, an IT guy from her work. I listened to this on audible and kudos to the narrator for the voices and accents she gave both the female and male characters. Eleanor’s arc worked beautifully. Although I could guess where the story was going and the twists in the story, the ending was quite satisfying.

Tuesday Book Review on Wednesday

 

Five-star review of Survive (The Atlantis Grail series Book 4) by Vera Nazarian

The final book in this series ends with non-stop heart-pounding action that answers many of the questions the rest of the story raised and a few we didn’t know we had. The fates and survival of both Earth and Atlantis are at stake, and Gwen and company have more than one challenge, not to mention a wedding to achieve. Nazarian’s imagination continues to come up with surprising new twists up to the end. Gwen’s growth is finally evident, although she still occasionally questions her own abilities. I particularly enjoyed the relationships among all the characters, not just the romantic couples. The characters and their relationships were consistent through the series.

Tuesday Book Review

 

Five-star review of The Sacred Bridge by Anne Hillerman

Chee and Bernie each have a case to deal with separately in this story. Each one is interesting written in an engaging style. They take place in different places, Chee’s in the area of Lake Powell and Paige, Arizona, where he discovers a body while exploring the area, and Bernie’s, about a hemp growing enterprise on Navajo land, is closer to home (theirs and mine) in the Shiprock area of northwestern New Mexico. The other worldly scenery of the far-flung Navajo Nation provides a wonderful background for the two investigations. Both cases highlight some of the difficulties the Diné people have with maintaining their culture and preserving their artifacts. I’m so pleased Anne has continued to give us stories about these characters.  

 

Tuesday Book Review on Wednesday

 

Four-star review for The Booklovers Library by Madeline Martin 

Considering most of the events of the book occurred during World War II, I’d expected more action, but this was more of an examination of the lives of people in Nottingham, England, the difficulties women had at the time to be allowed to work if they were married and/or had children, and the literature of the time. I hadn’t known about the lending libraries in Boots Pharmacies back then where, for a subscription fee, patrons could find books that libraries didn’t carry and were too expensive to purchase. I did know about the efforts to send children into the country to escape the bombing of the cities and the women’s volunteer service. All of this is told through the eyes of a widow with a young daughter, whose father had a bookstore in the city which had burned, killing him and leaving her an orphan in her teens. Emma is plucky and determined. The other characters are well-described. The relationship between Emma and her daughter, Olivia, seemed genuine. I listened to the audiobook, which was read with the women distinct, but the men sounding alike.

Tuesday book review on Wednesday

Four-star review of Win (The Atlantis Grail book 3) by Vera Nazarian

I always seem to start the reviews of the books in this series with a kind of disclaimer, and this one is no exception. Despite the fact that Gwen seems to be even less mature in this book and that immaturity is rubbing off on Aeson, despite the fact that the most exciting of the four parts to the Atlantis Grail contest is the first rather than the last so the tension isn’t even or ever-increasing, and despite the increased amount of romance between parts, I still raced through this book. I wasn’t disappointed with the ending full of surprises including some that make it imperative to read on. I liked the way the members of team Lark were distinct characters and I hope those who survived are added to the group of Gwen’s friends.

Tuesday book review on Wednesday

 

Five-star review of Compete (The Atlantis Grail Book 2) by Vera Nazarian

Even though I’m not particularly fond of romances nor present tense writing, I’ve become obsessed with this YA science fiction series that’s becoming even more focused on a love story. Nazarian’s imagination continues to amaze me as she fleshes out the story of the Atlantean’s rescue of Earth teens and training and transport of the qualified twelve-to-nineteen-year-olds to the planet of Atlantis in the Pegasus system. Gwen Lark, her siblings and friends have a lot to learn during their year-long journey that uses a quantum stream to transport them so many light-years. The most prominent are their lessons in piloting shuttles that allow transport among the ships of the fleet. In addition to many of the great characters from Qualify, a few new and interesting ones are introduced. Although Gwen always struck me as immature and naïve, she is forced to mature a bit in this book. I’ll continue the series to the end and also read the other novels the author has written in this universe.