Review for "The Fiend and the Forge (The Tapestry #3)" by Henry H. Neff

In a perfect world, I would stay... But this isn't a perfect world. You were born to lead this place and these people. I was born for other things.



Rating: 3.75

We are finally raising the stakes at Rowan Academy! This book definitely feels like a turning point, a new beginning if you will, for the series. Not only has Max lost so much, he also has so much more to lose. He's also getting to the point (age is kinda funky in this series, who knows if he's aged 3 or 5 or 10 years since the beginning of the first book??? Either way he is definitely maturing) where he is finding out who he is. During his whole journey, he's been asked the question, by himself and others, "Who am I?", and he is now discovering and accepting his true identity.

You are the child of Lugh Lamfhada. You are the sun and the storm and master of all the feats I have to teach. You are these things because you must be.

Honestly, I don't know with Chosen One trope I like more, the "I'm super BA because I trained for it and am actually the best" or the "I am the fiercest warrior because fate wills it so and I just have to deal with it." Clearly this story exhibits the latter. Max's physical development, in terms of how quickly he trains, is the best and most feared/famous warrior ever, and can win in battle against anyone, is a little implausible for me I will say. He's fought some bad guys like a couple of times and suddenly every demon in the world knows who he is and fears him? And he's better than every other Agent, all of whom have devoted their lives to training? Eh...

That being said, Max's strength in battle is extremely entertaining. This book is a blast to read because the battles are so interesting and creative. I loved everything about Max's time at the farm house, and I loved the contest of champions bit too (especially the appearance of the Myrmidon!). Neither of these fit super well in the story, but I still thought it was fun.

The one thing that has always kept the books in this series from getting higher ratings from me are the characters. They just don't work at all. They aren't interesting, they aren't relatable to the reader, and they don't even have realistic or interesting relationships with each other. It's just a super bummer. Therefore, -0.25 for implausibility, -0.25 for uncohesiveness, and -0.75 for the characters. Considering all the aforementioned issues, the book still receives a relatively high rating from me because the plot continues to intrigue and entertain me, which is the main goal of a middle grade fantasy series IMO.

Review for "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr

Open your eyes and see what you can see with them before they close forever.

Rating: 4 stars

This is a beautiful story. You have a blind teenage girl, trying to survive a war and at the same time do her part to end it. Her father, caught up in the safeguard of a legendary stone to make one immortal. A dying German Sergeant, searching desperately for said stone. The blind girl's uncle, who plays an instrumental yet anonymous role in America's victory in the War. An exceptionally gifted young boy, who dreams of being an engineer but gets swept into the whirlwind of the War nonetheless. And the boy's sister, who dreams of the day her brother, and the radiocaster they used to listen to together, will return to her.
The book moves slowly; the plot does not have an urgent direction, but the characters more than make up for it. Marie-Laure is a brilliant protagonist, I love her resilience and her intense interest in mollusks, of all things. Werner is another kind of brilliant, he's smart, but in such a way that he doesn't acknowledge his intelligence, he's just extremely curious. On top of this, the character are so compassionate (thinking of the dynamic between Werner and Fredrick breaks my heart) that it adds another layer to the characters.

She says, "When I lost my sight, Werner, people said I was brave. When my father left, people said I was brave. But it is not bravery; I have no choice. I wake up and live my life. Don't you do the same?"
He says, "Not in years. But today. Today maybe I did."

By far, the most compelling attribute of the story is the delicate interweaving of the characters lives. Not only is this story told in two separate timelines, but the characters lives are so separated for the majority of the book. And logically, their paths should never have crossed. She's a girl living relatively comfortably during WWII France, and he's an orphan forced into a War for a country that he doesn't actually side with. It is really a wonderful feeling when you near the end and can see the pieces fall into place.
I honestly don't have much more to say about this story; if you like historical fiction, especially WWII historical fiction, this is the book for you.

Review for "Go Set a Watchman" by Harper Lee

I thought I was a Christian, but I'm not. I'm something else. And I don't know what. Everything I've ever taken for right and wrong these people have taught me, these same, these very people. So it's me. It's not them. Something has happened to me. 



Rating: 3.75 stars

I love Jean Louise Finch. This story of her growth, both in reflections on her childhood, understanding and defending her beliefs, and coming to terms with the harshness of the adult world was super exciting for me to read. This book is well written, and the story is logical. I understand that people are mad that Atticus is not who they thought he was.But he wasn't what Scout thought he was either; that's the point!

You better go warn your younger friends that if they want to “preserve our way of life”, it begins at home. It doesn’t begin with the schools or the churches, or any place, but home. Tell 'em that. And use your blind immoral misguided daughter as your example. Go in front of me with a bell and say “unclean”. Point me out as your mistake. Point me out. Jean Louise Finch, who was exposed to all kinds of guff from the white trash she went to school with, that she might never have gone to school, for all the influence it had on her. Everything that was gospel to her she got at home. From her father. You sowed the seeds in me, Atticus. And now it’s coming home to you. 

I know that's an absurdly long quote for a review, but holy COW. Scout is my role model. I love love love strong females that rant at men when they say/do dumb/bigoted things, and Jean Louise just snatched my metaphorical weave with this monologue. The thing that you have to accept in this book, is that this is Jean Louise's story. Not Atticus's, or Jem's, or anyone else's. And she absolutely blows me away. She is a wonderful character, and I don't think that her circumstances or her reactions to those circumstances were illogical. 

Jean Louise is "color blind", fiercely defensive (bigoted, as Uncle Jack says), and altogether an admirably strong-willed character. Sure, Atticus's attitude in this book is disappointing, considering he is the reason Scout has the viewpoints that she does, but if Jean Louise was going to defend her fierce belief in equality and justice, who better to challenge her than the man she looked up to more than anyone else? To me, pitting Atticus against Jean Louise was brilliant. It was the only logical choice. She doesn't act completely mature throughout the discussion, but like everyone else, she's flawed and all the more admirable for it. 

-.5 stars because there were some things that needed more explanation in order to understand how they fit into Jean Louise's history and development (Jem's death anyone??), and -.75 for the slow pacing and insertion of some seemingly pointless anecdotes.

I respect all opinions, and I do understand the opposing ones on this book. But before you 1-star this, just remind yourself: this is Jean Louise's story. And when I remember this, I must admit her story is beautiful.

Review for "The Second Siege" by Henry H. Neff

It's mine. It's my right hand and the dread of my enemies. For I am the Hound of my people, and the day of my wrath is coming. 

Oh boy. If that quote doesn't just summarize the whole book...

Rating: 3.5 stars

I definitely enjoyed this book more than the first one. Honestly, this book reads more like a last book in a 5-book series than a second. There are pros and cons to that. For one this, Max has more personality and emotions and makes his decisions based on these emotions. That being said, Max is not rational. He's a kid, he's immature, and even after he ages months/years at the Sidh, his decisions and rash and fueled by anger and vengeance. I personally love the angsty teen anger that develops into a more mature and reasonable mindset in later books, so I am excited and hopeful to see this maturation in Max.

Max is not a robot. But he might be our only chance at retrieving the Book of Thoth. Just as David might be our only chance at finding it. 

Stakes like the ones portrayed in the quote above do not typically show up in the second books of a series. The book's pacing and direction did not always make sense to me, and the same can be said of the series as a whole. It seems like Astaroth is the Voldemort or the Kronos of this series, and Max comes face to face with him in the first half of the second book out of five. I'm interested in how the series continues, if there are new unique villains or if Astaroth continues to be the main antagonist. Either way, I think the early confrontation is very unconventional and I can't decide if I like it or not. I will probably have a more definitive answer after reading the next few books.

The thing that I think could use the most work throughout this series is the way the relationships are written/portrayed. The friendships fall flat because you don't get any sense of personality from the side characters/anyone who isn't Max. Plus, it's hard to understand these kids as just normal friends when all the time they spend together is only when they're in mortal peril. I feel the same way about Max's relationships with his dad and with Julie. It all just feels like the author is telling you "these people are friends" instead of it being shown in the way the characters interact.

I enjoyed this book for the interesting plot, fast pace, and Max's character development. I hope these continue and increase in the next books.

Review for "An Absolutely Remarkable Thing" by Hank Green

"It is easy for me to recognize that I made some good decisions and some bad ones. But it's telling that, with this, I knew it was a bad idea even then but I still couldn't control myself. Knowing something is a bad idea does not always decrease the odds that you will do it." 



Rating: 4.25 stars

April May has made some very bad decisions. Including, but not limited to, meddling in alien technology without knowing what the heck she was doing, withholding information to relevant government bodies, and turning on her friends for the purpose of increasing, maintaining, or augmenting her fame. One of the best parts of this story is that April is a very flawed human. I love this aspect of the book so much. The entire theme of the story is the differences between humans and machines like the Carls; humans are flawed and dysfunctional and all the more beautiful (Carl's words, not mine), for it. April May is an excellent example of this. On one hand, April's flawed thinking is super entertaining. You know that the decision she's making is a stupid one, but you want to know what will happen when she does it. On the other hand, you can't even be that frustrated with her horrible choices because the story is set up so that April is constantly talking about how she knows the stuff she did was dumb and sometimes regretting those decisions.

On top of the characters, which are entertaining, realistic, and diverse without being cringeworthily obvious about it (a common trope in YA contemporaries nowadays), the plot was unexpected and just interesting. The fact is, the majority of the science fiction parts in this book were absolutely absurd. Not in a way that was like "bahh this would never happen I hate how unrealistic it is". But more in the way that's like "I did not see THIS coming, I love it". I mean, I wasn't anticipating such a tribute to CRJ's 2012 pop masterpiece but I am certainly not complaining.

The other thing about this book is that it didn't go in the direction I anticipated to begin with. It was much more a contemporary, in my opinion, than a science fiction book. The plot with the Carls was almost just a subplot, a thing that had to happen to further the main plot. And what was that main plot, you ask? April May's insane navigation through the world of fame and fortune (but mostly fame). In April's quest for fame, she learns about human desire and relationships, cruelty, humanity, and what it means to have a truly common goal. The plot here was so intricate that I can only imagine the author had some experience with this himself or did a LOT of research for it. Either way, the story was just well crafted and gorgeous. This is really just a quirky and fun yet meaningful contemporary with splashes of science fiction throughout. -0.75 stars because there wasn't quite enough of the science fiction to hold my absolute attention 100% of the time.

BEST BOOKS OF 2018

These are all my favorite books I read this year! I read 42 books this year, and there are a lot of good ones. I am only going to list the books here; if you want more information I recommend checking out my reviews and monthly wrap-ups as well as Goodreads! I've narrowed my list down to the top 20% of books I've read throughout the year, and they are all recommendations. There is a variety of genres, so I'll include those as well. (These are in order of date read, not in order of priority.)

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot, read in February
Rating: 5 stars
Genre: Nonfiction, science, biography


Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach, read in March
Rating: 5 stars
Genre: Nonfiction, science


A Court of Mist and Fury (A Court of Thorns and Roses #2) by Sarah J. Maas, read in October
Rating: 5 stars
Genre: YA fantasy series


Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand, read in November
Rating: 5 stars
Genre: Nonfiction, historical, biography


The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller, read in November
Rating: 5 stars
Genre: Greek mythology


Artemis by Andy Weir, read in December
Rating: 4 stars
Genre: Science fiction


It's King of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini, read in December
Rating: 5 stars
Genre: YA contemporary


Crooked Kingdom (Six of Crows #2) by Leigh Bardugo, read in December
Rating: 5 stars
Genre: YA fantasy series

December 2018 Wrap-Up

1. Artemis by Andy Weir
Rating: 4 Stars

I liked this book a lot, more than I thought I would. I loved the narration and the main character, and I loved the heisty feel to it. I definitely recommend this to science fiction lovers.

2. The Alchemist by Paulo Coehlo
Rating: 3 stars

This book was fine. Not super special, in my opinion. I thought it was a cute story, with magical realism elements. It's a short read so I didn't feel like I wasted any time on it.

3. World's End (Dormia #2) by Jake Halpern and Peter Kujawinksi
Rating: 3 stars

This was a quick read for me. The plot was interesting, and I like the characters, generally speaking. I've struggled with this series since I feel like the main character has no personality, and I'm waiting for the plot to come up with something fresh. The plot was essentially the same as the first book - a long journey to some Dormian land to save everything from even the same antagonist. Since the title of the book "World's End" is the name of the American town Alfonso is from, I thought maybe the Dormian/human worlds would collide in this one, like maybe some of the fight would be in his own territory. But no. So we'll see if the third book can turn the series around.

4. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne
Rating: 5 stars

This is actually one of my favorite books of all time. It's on my favorites shelf with just 5 other books and I love it and my heart breaks every time. Clearly, this was a reread for me and it took about 2 hours to finish it.

5. Catwoman: Soulstealer (DC Icons #3) by Sarah J. Maas
Rating: 3 stars

This book gets three stars, two stars for the first half of the book and four stars for the second half.
I just felt like this story dragged horribly through the first 150 pages. The whole thing was supposed to heist and action, yet I still felt like nothing was happening. Also, I had unanswered questions by the end of the novel and I hate that. However, I loved the ending of this book.

6. Heart Berries: A Memoir by Terese Marie Mailhot
Rating: 2 stars

I don't even know if this should be in the memoir category, or in the poetry category. Every sentence was like poetry. I can appreciate poeticism to a point, but this was a little melodramatic. Also, I didn't realize half the book was going to be letters to her (one) boyfriend/ex-boyfriend/husband(?), so that was just kind of annoying. Overall, I was underwhelmed. Maybe I don't "understand the art" of it, but I feel like I have read and appreciated memoirs (The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls and When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi, the latter of which is a very poetic memoir) and this just didn't do it for me.

7. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
Rating: 3 stars

This book was good, just not amazing. I guess I was expecting more based on how many medals are slapped on the front and how many recommendations I've heard. I thought the book was sweet, if a little predictable. I will probably not reread it or recommend it to people unless they really love contemporaries.

8. Shiver (Shiver #1) by Maggie Stiefvater
Rating: 3 stars

This was a reread for me, and I used to really love this book. I think since I've read more fantasy and paranormal romance novels, this just doesn't do it for me anymore. I will still try to reread Linger and Forever, the second and third books in the trilogy, sometime in the next year probably.

9. The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness
Rating: 3 stars

This book was highly recommended to me, and it was not all that I was hoping for. The story and characters were still good, but it wasn't spectacular. The premise of the book is that there is a fantasy adventure going on, but our main character is not "the Chosen One", he's someone who just happens to be caught up in the crazy things going on. I guess I expected this to be more involved in the fantasy story, like maybe being a side character involved in it, but instead the character had literally nothing to do with the fantasy aspect of the book and to me it just wasn't very interesting. I'm a very plot-driven reader, and there was not much direction with the plot here.

10. Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell
Rating: 3 stars

This book was good and sweet, but I wasn't amazed by it. I don't have much to say about it. If you like contemporaries, books set in the 80's, teen romance, and stories about dysfunctional families, this is the book for you.

11. The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
Rating: 3 stars

I'm not a huge thriller person. Not because I don't like them, I just haven't read a ton so I am not familiar with the genre. A lot of people said that this was a good book for people who don't read thrillers often. I thought it would be a pretty good fit for me, but I wasn't super impressed. It wasn't shocking or twisty, and overall it was good but just good.

12. It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini
Rating: 5

This was a reread for me and I still love it! The beautiful thing about this book is that it creates such a meaningful story, and you come to know the characters well, without being unnecessarily poetic. There are a lot of books that use obscure poetic lines ("We accept the love we think we deserve") to make the book seem more artsy. This story is simple and beautiful without overdoing it. I love it.

13. The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling
Rating: 3 stars

Boy does this book drag in the beginning... parts 1-4, which comprise more than half of the book, are pretty much just exposition. The problem is that there are so many characters and storylines, that the introductions take forever. Once you get to part 5 though (there are seven parts), it picks up and becomes really interesting. If you pick this up and find yourself wanting to DNF, I recommend sticking it out until the end.

14. Shadow Tree (Dormia #3) by Jake Halpern and Peter Kujawinski
Rating: 1 star

I'm actually mad about this book. I was able to take the flat characters, unnatural flow of conversations and emotions, and ridiculously dry plot with a generous 2-star rating. BUT. There were probably over 25 typos/grammar mistakes throughout the book. It's just sloppy work. I can understand that this book was probably self-published and that presents challenges, but this was just terrible. It seems like the book wasn't revised or edited, either for its story or for basic grammar conventions like spelling and capitalization and COMMAS. The writers got lazy, and I can't respect it at all.

15. 5 to 1 by Holly Bodger
Rating: 5 stars

I didn't plan to read this book this month, I just picked it up and read it in one day. The prose was so creatively expressed, and the story and emotions in the book were beautiful.

16. Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
Rating: 4 stars

This book is very good, and I can understand all the hype for it. The characters have a lot of depth, so if you're a character driven reader, this book is definitely for you. The backstories were definitely the most intriguing part of the story. It was a really brilliant weaving of past and future. The first 2/3 of the book is pretty dry. I didn't feel enraptured by the story for most of the book. I was also disappointed with the world building.

17. Crooked Kingdom (Six of Crows #2) by Leigh Bardugo
Rating: 5 stars

This book was such an improvement on the first one. The first one was good, but I was not super invested in the characters. This book did it for me. A beautiful story that is a remarkable mix of high fantasy, teenage angst, and thriller-level action-packed heist.

18. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Rating: 4 stars

This book was obviously a reread for me, and as expected I enjoyed it more this time around than when I was forced to read it in high school. In general, I love the childhood-innocence-narration trope (see my notes above on The Boy in the Striped Pajamas), and this story is very well done. I love the motifs and metaphors in the book, and Scout is one of my favorite female leads.

19. Eragon by Christopher Paolini
Rating: 2 stars

I don't have a really good reason for why I disliked this book as much as I did, it just felt like a child's rendition of LOTR and I love LOTR so much that I can't accept this.

If I could only recommend one...

This is so tough! I would have to recommend It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini. This is a mental health story done well, and beyond it being a fantastic book, I think it could be an important read for many people.