Month: June 2020

REVIEW: The Albert books by Richard Littledale

REVIEW: The Albert books by Richard Littledale

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received electronic review copies of both of these books from Netgalley and Lion Children’s Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summaries

Albert and the Good Sister: A retelling of the Bible story of baby Moses and his sister Miriam. Albert the mouse tells the story which he heard from an older family member who was there. He tells the story to a little mouse who is the youngest in her family and is wondering if she will ever be “any use.” Miriam teaches that looking out for someone else is an important job and you don’t have to be big/older to do it.

Albert and the Flour Sack: A retelling of the Bible story of Eljiah and the woman who is running out of oil and flour to feed her family. Again, Albert tells a story he has heard from an older family member who was a witness to the story. Albert tells the story to two mice who have been in the farmer’s flour sack. The message of the Elijah story is that God took care of the family and never let them go hungry.

Review

The stories are cute and faithful to the Bible text. The illustrations are simple and sweet. The Miriam story sets her up as the role model and focus of the story. The Elijah story is really God’s story, which I preferred. The whole Bible is God’s story, and I liked that the flour story reflected that.  If these were just the Bible retelling, without the “lesson” portion, I would rate them higher.

But the stories are set up to teach a lesson. It’s how they are structured from the first page. Albert is trying to teach the young mice something with each Bible story. This is where the books hit a road bump for me. I thought the lessons were unclear, especially the flour story.

In the Miriam story, the message is either (a) caring for others is an important job for everyone or (b) little kids can do important things, too – or even (c) some combination of the two. It wasn’t really clear. But a parent reading the story to a child could make that a little more clear as they read together.

In the Elijah story, the message is either (a) God will take care of you or (b) don’t steal/waste flour. This was especially problematic for me. The little mice are playing in the farmer’s flour and this story is told to tell them to stay out of it. I’m not sure how that ties into a story about how God provided for this family in a way that their little bit of flour and oil didn’t run out. Maybe the connection is supposed to be the flour, but that is a loose connection to me.

Rating: ♥♥♥½

BOOK NEWS: June 16, 2020

BOOK NEWS: June 16, 2020

Posted on by Jaymie

Here are some of the new books releasing this week!

Books for Kids

Antiracist Baby (Board Book) – Board book from the author of How to Be an Antiracist.
You Should Meet Shirley Chisholm – Early reader biography of the first African American woman elected to Congress. She also ran for president in 1972.
The Adventures of Allie and Amy: Rockin’ Rockets – Book 2 in the Adventures of Allie and Amy series. A new girl in the neighborhood has only one extra ticket for a concert. Who will she choose to take – Allie or Amy?
Hand-Me-Down Magic: Stoop Sale Treasure – Book 1 in the new Hand-Me-Down Magic series about “best friend cousins” who are going to be living together for the first time and the conflicts that arise between them.
Little Goddess Girls: Artemis and the Awesome Animals – Book 4 in this series about the Greek goddesses and their adventures. This time Artemis is hoping Zeus can help her be a little more brave when Medusa comes along to stir up trouble.
Mack Rhino: The Candy Caper Case – Book 2 in the Mack Rhino detective series. Mack’s 101st case is one where a new candy cart is stealing business from other sweet shops while other shops are having break-ins, but nothing appears to be missing.

Books for Older Kids/Teens/Young Adults

Disney Incredibles Movies in Comics (Graphic Novel) – A comics retelling of both Incredibles movies.
Nancy Drew Diaries: The Vanishing Statue – Book 20 in the Nancy Drew Diaries series. Nancy and her friends are invited to an art gala by a reclusive duchess. Days before the event, a statue is stolen, but the duchess insists that the gala go forward. So Nancy decides to use the event to sleuth out a thief.
Raising Lumie (Older Middle Grade) – Olive longs for a dog, but she knows this is NOT the best time for that. Recently orphaned, Olive is moving in with a half-sister she hardly knows. But then Olive gets the chance to help train Lumie, a guide-dog puppy. This sounds amazing!
The Rider’s Reign – The third and final book in the Rose Legacy series. Anthea’s mother has stolen enough horses to start her own herd and might be negotiating with an enemy kingdom. Anthea and her friends must set things right before they are caught up in hostile territory in the middle of a war.
The Rise of Greg – Third and final book in the Epic Series of Failures series. Greg and his friends are running out of time to save the world from his ex-best friend Edwin and his Elven army who want to steal the world’s magic supply for themselves.
Action Presidents: Theodore Roosevelt AND John F. Kennedy – Real history and fake jokes about these two American Presidents as the Action Presidents series continues.
Basher Civics (Older Middle Grade) A Basher book (infographics and information) about the presidents and states as well as some other governmental vocabulary.
The Kinder Poison – A stable girl’s longing for a peek at palace events puts her life at risk when she is caught up in a rivalry between the three royal heirs. As the heirs compete in a race across the desert, she will be the human sacrifice at the end that determines the winner.
You Say It First – Two teens connect through a voter registration phone call. What starts as bickering and obvious differences in social status becomes something more.

Books for Adults

28 Summers (Hardcover) – Based on the movie Same Time Next Year. As she lays dying, Mallory gives her son instructions to call a number on a slip of paper in her desk. He has no idea that the person he is calling is married to the frontrunner in the upcoming presidential election. The book details how Mallory and Jake know each other and what their relationship has been over the years. This sounds fascinating.
The Art of Deception (Hardcover) – Book 4 in the Daughter of Sherlock Holmes Mystery series. A criminal is running around London sneaking into houses and art galleries, slashing paintings of women. But when Joanna and the Watsons are called in they discover that the criminal is only cutting deep enough to see behind the painting. He’s searching for something.
I Was Told It Would Get Easier (Trade Paperback) – From the author of one of my top books for 2019, The Bookish Life of Nina Hill. A mother-daughter college tour doesn’t go at all according to plan. Emily is hoping for a taste of freedom, some clarity on if she even wants to go to college, and maybe a friend or two, unlike what she had in high school. Jessica is hoping to connect with her daughter. She’s not even sure if Emily likes her – or if she likes herself. This is at the top of my wish list for this week!
Sisters and Secrets (Trade Paperback) – The latest from Jennifer Ryan. The Silva Sisters are keeping secrets – from each other and the rest of the family, and in some cases even from themselves. But when those secrets start to come out they will discover there’s more to their family and their connections than they thought.
Stranger Planet (Hardcover Graphic Novel) – A comics collection sequel to Strange Planet.
The Essential Vegetarian Air Fryer Cookbook: 75+ Easy Meatless Recipes (Paperback) – Recipes for your air fryer.

REVIEW: Queen's Peril by E. K. Johnston

REVIEW: Queen’s Peril by E. K. Johnston

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Disney Lucasfilm Press in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

When Padmé Naberrie became queen of Naboo, she surrendered her name and her former identity – for the length of her service – for the good of her office. She was Queen Amidala to everyone, even her family. But behind the closed doors of her quarters, with only her handmaidens around, she could be Padmé again, at least a little.

The handmaiden group Queen Amidala and Captain Panaka developed was new for the monarchy. Actually, Panaka had proposed just a double, a body guard. The queen had the vision for a larger group. And together the girls developed a system that would both protect the queen and use all of their individual skills to help her excel in her new role.

And the girls will need their protection systems well-honed and the kinks all worked out if they are going to survive the threat to Naboo and to Queen Amidala’s throne that is on the way.

Review

This was great! While I liked Queen’s Shadow (♥♥♥♥), which is a companion novel with these characters that takes place later in the timeline, I thought this was better.

This is an origin story. It begins with Padmé waiting for the results of the election. It showcases the recruitment of each of her handmaidens and the development of their security team. This was my favorite part of the novel.

By the midway point, events on Naboo have caught up to the story of The Phantom Menace. Since I’ve seen the movie, I appreciated how the author left the movie moments out of most of the story. She made enough references to tie the two together, but this fills in some great context and behind the scenes information. Since I have seen the movie, I don’t know how this storytelling choice will play out for those who have NOT seen the movie. (Would someone pick up this book without having seen the movies? I don’t know.)

As soon as I finished this, I had to watch The Phantom Menace for a refresher. I don’t think there is anything in the book that changed the movie in a significant way, but I did enjoy having some “insider information” about what was going on. This also makes me want to go back and re-read Queen’s Shadow now that I know more about the various handmaidens. (This might sound weird, but I also appreciated how the author wove menstruation into the story considering most of it focused on teenage girls. There’s been discussion in YA circles about how you rarely see periods acknowledged even though half the population have them, unless the book is specifically about menstruation in the first place – like Go With the Flow (♥♥♥♥) or Revenge of the Red Club.)

This is not as quiet of a story as Queen’s Shadow. The tie-ins with The Phantom Menace brought more action to the story – battles, holding camps on Naboo with executions and torture (off page), etc. Readers who are looking for Jedi and light saber battles won’t find as much to enjoy here as they might in a different line of Star Wars novels. But those looking for a richer character-based story and more on Padmé and her bodyguards should definitely check this out. (Violence: executions, torture – off page. LGBTQ+: F/F relationships)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

 

REVIEW: The Boyfriend Project by Farrah Rochon

REVIEW: The Boyfriend Project by Farrah Rochon

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Forever in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Samiah’s mind was on her date later that night with Craig when her sister first mentioned the Twitter post. Someone was live tweeting her first date with a guy. As the tweet thread continued, Samiah started to feel sick. The woman was obviously out with Craig. He was using the reservation she had gotten for them for this other date. He had told her something came up and made plans with her for later that night.

By the time Samiah got to the restaurant to confront Craig, there was a third woman there. Craig had “catfished” all three of them. Samiah lit into Craig, and other diners caught it on video. It went viral. At least she gained a friendship with the two other women. That was the only positive from the whole mess. Now the ladies have sworn off men for awhile and are going to spend time on themselves and things that matter to them.

Then Samiah meets Daniel, the new hire at work. He’s smart, compassionate, and gorgeous. Even though she said she was going to take 6 months off from dating to focus on herself and a project she’s been wanting to dig into, Daniel is too tempting to keep pushing away. But Daniel is keeping a secret. And after her experience with Craig, that is something that will devastate Samiah if it ever comes out.

Review

This was delightful! It’s a fun romance between two great characters. I was fascinated by Daniel’s real job. And Samiah is an ideal protagonist – smart, a great friend, and a leader who knows her field and her value. Together, they were explosive.

But what made this different from some of the other tech-based romances I’ve read lately (The Right Swipe, Can’t Escape Love) is the mystery that Daniel is working on throughout the book. It’s an ever-present background issue. There’s nothing for the reader to figure out, though, no culprit to find. It’s not the focus of the story, but it’s still a fascinating layer to the whole. I loved it.

It’s clear early on that Samiah’s new friends are leading women waiting to tell their own stories, sort of like the Central Park Pact series, which I loved. And the epilogue in this book does double duty for wrapping up Samiah and Daniel’s story as well as teeing up the next book in the series. And you can sign me up for that right now! This was so good, I won’t hesitate to snatch up the sequel the minute it debuts. Contemporary romance fans as well as geek/tech romance fans should not miss this one! (Language, sex)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

REVIEW: Stella Endicott and the Anything-Is-Possible Poem by Kate DiCamillo

REVIEW: Stella Endicott and the Anything-Is-Possible Poem by Kate DiCamillo

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Candlewick Press in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Stella’s second grade teacher instructs her students about metaphors and starts a unit on poetry with the class. When Stella struggles to think of a good metaphor for an assignment, she visits her friend Mercy Watson.

Sitting on the couch, leaning on Mercy, Stella writes a lovely poem. She can’t wait to share it with her teacher. She makes the mistake, though, of sharing it with Horace Broom, a know-it-all boy in her class.

When Horace and Stella get into a loud argument in class, their teacher sends them both to the principal. This was NOT how Stella thought her day would go.

Review

This is a sweet story about friendship and poetry. I adored Stella. She’s bright and creative. She’s not afraid to ask questions when she doesn’t understand something. She’s also not afraid to stand up for herself which she does with Horace.

Many readers will know a person like Horace. But Horace isn’t all bad. While he doesn’t believe a pig would live in a house or sit on a couch, he’s not cruel or mocking to Stella. And he shows the beginnings of self-awareness, which is a great character trait.

The poetry pieces are light and engaging. Stella’s skill at finding metaphors and her curious nature make poetry sound like something fun rather than something intimidating. This would be a great read aloud, even in upper elementary classrooms, for poetry units and discussions about figurative language, word choice in writing, etc. (Middle school students who loved Mercy Watson as kids might also get a kick out of this book as an introduction to a unit on poetry or writing.)

This is book 5 in the Tales from Deckawoo Drive series, a companion/spin off from the Mercy Watson series. Readers do not need to read these in order, but anyone who discovers either series through this delightful book should be sure to check out the rest. The whole collection is quite fun.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

BOOK NEWS: June 9, 2020

BOOK NEWS: June 9, 2020

Posted on by Jaymie

Here are some of the new books releasing this week!

Books for Kids

A Family for Louie – Louie the French Bulldog looks for a family of his own. This looks darling!
Lift as You Climb: The Story of Ella Baker – A picture book biography of Civil Rights leader Ella Baker.
Mindy Kim and the Birthday Party – Book 3 in the Mindy Kim early chapter book series. Mindy tries to convince her parents she is responsible enough for a puppy.
Sparkleton: The Magic Day AND The Glitter Parade – The Sparkleton early chapter book series kicks off this week with two books. In The Magic Day, Sparkleton the unicorn tries out wish-granting powers for a day, but the results are the opposite of what he had in mind. In The Glitter Parade, Sparkleton’s gloomy friend, Gabe, gets an embarrassing unicorn power.
Stella Endicott and the Anything-Is-Possible Poem – Book 5 in the Tales from Deckawoo Drive series, a spin-off from the Mercy Watson series. In this book, Stella Endicott, Mercy’s neighbor, writes a poem all about Mercy. But one of her classmates doesn’t believe Stella’s stories which leads to an argument and a trip to the principal. I’ll be reviewing this one soon.

Books for Older Kids/Teens/Young Adults

American as Paneer Pie – Lekha deals with the prejudice in her community by separating herself into two versions – the home version and the school version. When another Indian family moves into her community, Lekha assumes Avantika will be like her – quiet about her culture. But Avantika is proud of her heritage, and she does not take the bullying quietly.
Catalyst (Older Middle Grade) – A new fantasy adventure from Sarah Beth Durst. Zoe’s tiny kitten Pipsqueak grows into a talking cat the size of a horse. Zoe and her best friend Harrison have to figure out why and if there is a way to keep Pipsqueak safe and make her small again.
Curse of the Night Witch – A boy marked with a fate he doesn’t want makes a wish to change it. Instead of a more desirable future, he gets a death sentence. He has one week to find the Night Witch to break the curse.
Disney Frozen Movies in Comics (Graphic Novel) – One of my favorite graphic novelists, Alessandro Ferrari, tackles the stories of Frozen and Frozen 2 in this graphic novel retelling. The sample pages I have seen are gorgeous!
Disney Princess Follow Your Heart (Graphic Novel) – Three short comics starring Disney Princesses – Mulan, Cinderella, and Belle.
Doodleville – Drew’s doodles tend not to stay in her sketchbook. And when she draws a leviathan – Levi – after an inspiring trip to the art museum, Drew and her friends will have to find a way to contain the monster when he starts causing trouble for her friends’ creations.
Five Things About Ava Andrews – From the author of Summer of a Thousand Pies. Ava Andrews’ quiet exterior hides a mind and heart overflowing with thoughts and ideas – as well as the anxiety and heart condition that leave her feeling disconnected from others. But when her writing abilities get her invited to join the improv group at school, she discovers new things about herself as well as about the people closest to her. This is at the top of my reading list for this week.
Glitch – Two kids who have been training to become Glitchers – people who travel through time to protect key moments in history – must put aside their rivalry when they find a letter from the future about a coming event that could destroy everyone they know.
Seven Clues to Home – A girl still grieving the loss of her best friend a year ago decides to follow the clues he left for her on her birthday last year to see what he might have left behind. I’ll be reviewing this one soon.
Turnover – The latest from Mike Lupica. When Lucas’s English teacher assigns them a project to write about their hero, it’s a no-brainer for Lucas to pick his grandfather, who also happens to be his basketball coach and a legendary player. But when Lucas tries to ask him anything for the project, his grandfather clams up, leaving Lucas to wonder what his grandpa might be hiding.
Agnes at the End of the World – A young woman loves her life in Red Creek with no idea that it is a cult run by a madman. But when she meets a boy from outside the community, and she starts to question her “sin” every time she barters for her brother’s insulin, she wonders if she shouldn’t pack up her brother and escape to the Outside. But the Outside is facing a viral pandemic making it a different sort of dangerous than Red Creek.
Hood – A re-imagined Robin Hood tale that focuses on the daughter of Robin and Marien, a teen targeted by King John’s right-hand man.

Books for Adults

500 Miles from You (Trade Paperback) – A nurse in London and an Army veteran/paramedic in a little town in the Scottish Highlands switch homes for a season so she can recover from PTSD. Both of them feel out of place in their temporary homes so they strike up an email correspondence to keep each other apprised about their patients. And even though they have never met in person, they start to develop feelings for one another.
Always the Last to Know (Trade Paperback) – While the Frosts seem like the perfect American family, when John has a stroke, it shakes everyone up. His favorite daughter, Sadie, gives up her career to come home and care for him while her sister Juliet starts to recognize that her own “perfect” life might be a sham. And Barb and John have to take a long look at their marriage in the face of John’s health.
The Boyfriend Project (Trade Paperback) – When Samiah’s bad date goes viral, and she discovers she’s been “catfished,” she’s ready to take a break from men and invest in herself. That includes developing the app she’s always wanted to – which brings her into contact with a sexy guy at work. What a terrible time to be on a break from men. I’ll be reviewing this one soon.
The Full Scoop (Trade Paperback) – Book 4 in the Riley Ellison Mystery series. Riley starts investigating the cold case of her grandfather’s murder where she will have to decide just how far she is willing to go to get to the truth.
Gone in Seconds (e-book) – Book 2 in the Max Carter series. Max is investigating another child abduction, this time of an infant from a mansion. But Max starts to wonder if the baby’s father, and his brother, might have something to do with the kidnapping.
Hush, Puppy (e-book – June 12) – Book 5 in the Dogmother’s series. A guy trying to launch his new business and take care of a rambunctious new puppy encounters a captivating woman – and her daughter who wants the puppy for her own. The woman was in town looking for something and someone else, but now she has a fella and a job and a chance at a fresh start. But then her past catches up to her and threatens everything.
In the Dark with the Duke (Trade Paperback) – Book 2 in the Lost Lords of London series. After hiding away for 8 years after a tragedy, Lady Lila March is ready to return to the outside world, once she’s learned some self-defense. Her coach is the Savage Gentleman, a street fighter who longs to leave his brawling life behind.
Llama See that Evidence (e-book) – Book 2 in the Friendship Harbor Mysteries series. Ex-actress turned pub owner Sophie is sleuthing again when rumors swirl that her grandmother killed her grandfather back in the 80s and a body is found in her guest house. I have book 1 in this series on my TBR list.
The Marriage Game (Trade Paperback) – When her life falls apart, Layla goes home where her father gives her some office space above his restaurant, creates an online dating account for her, and sets her up on a series of blind dates. When Sam goes looking for a quiet office space, a misunderstanding lands him in shared space with Layla. Instead of a quiet work environment, he ends up with a parade of Layla’s crazy family and her hopeful suitors. Sparks will fly. This sounds so fun! This is on my list for this week, too.
Miss Cecily’s Recipes for Exceptional Ladies (Trade Paperback) – When her life falls apart on the eve of her 40th birthday, Kate starts volunteering. She meets 97-year-old Miss Cecily who has no patience for Kate’s poor choices. She prescribes a self-help book called Food for Thought which has recipes and menus for any sort of event life can throw at Kate.
Star Trek: The Original Series – Agents of Influence (Trade Paperback) – Three Starfleet agents, deep undercover in Klingon territory, initiate emergency extraction protocols, but everything goes wrong, threatening to expose the agents. Starfleet sends The Enterprise in to save the day. This will be a must read for me – I love anything in the Star Trek Universe about the Klingons.
Rage Against the Minivan: Learning to Parent Without Perfection (Hardcover) – Blogger, podcaster, and licensed therapist Kristen Howerton talks real life and parenting. This sounds fantastic!

SATURDAY SMORGASBORD: My Summer Reading Plan 2020

SATURDAY SMORGASBORD: My Summer Reading Plan 2020

Posted on by Jaymie

I wasn’t sure, with 2020 being what it has been so far, that my family would be on board for our annual Summer Reading Challenge, but they were both actually more excited than I was. I think a lot of that has to do with our decision last year to do a re-read of the original Percy Jackson and the Olympians series this summer. We are all looking forward to spending time in that world again.

Our Summer Reading kicks off today and will end on July 31 – 56 days of reading. Here are the details for 2020. (You can read about past years here.)

Family Reading Challenge

We decided that this summer each of us will read the original Percy Jackson novels again. It has been ages since we have read the whole thing, although my teen re-reads them periodically. My husband and son each have their own sets. I’m going to just download them from the library.

In addition to Percy, we are picking one challenge book for each of the other people in the family.  My teen has challenged both my husband and me to re-read The Red Pyramid, the first book in the Egyptian mythology series by Rick Riordan. My husband has challenged me to read the third book in the Orphan X series. I read the first book in the series earlier this year (♥♥♥♥), and my husband thinks one of the characters in the third book will appeal to me.  I gave my husband five books to choose from, and he decided to read Undercover Bromance as his challenge book. I challenged my teen to read Millenneagram. It’s a true challenge, because he generally rolls his eyes at me when I talk about the Enneagram. I hope he finds this book a quick and interesting read. Finally, my husband is challenging our teen to read Head On by John Scalzi, the sequel to the book he had him read last summer – Lock In – which our son enjoyed.

Last summer, with the 7 Harry Potter books, the two family choice books for each person took us to 9 total. Since there are only 5 Percy Jackson books, we each chose two books for ourselves. The only requirement was that they had to have been previously unread.

I chose Absolutely Truly, a middle grade mystery that has been out for awhile and that I have had on my TBR shelves for years. My second choice is another middle grade mystery. City Spies by James Ponti just released this spring. Every month I put it on my reading list, and every month I don’t get around to it. This summer I’ll finally get my chance to read it. My son will be reading the second and third books in the Cat in the Stacks mystery series. He read the first one a couple summers ago and thoroughly enjoyed it. This challenge gives him an excuse to dig into them. (Classified as Murder – ♥♥♥♥♥ – is one of my favorites in that series.) My husband chose two books off of his TBR shelves, Artemis and Over Watch.

Since prizes worked so well last year, we are going to do that again to help us finish the goal by July 31.

#Bookaday

Teachers, librarians and other book fanatics all over social media (Instagram, Twitter) choose to read a book each day of summer vacation. My #bookaday will run from today to July 31, so 56 books in 56 days. And to help with that I have a Kindle full of Advance Reader Copies and my personal TBR pile for the summer. I haven’t been doing a lot of personal reading lately – I’ve gotten carried away with book requests from Netgalley and those are my priorities every week. I am hoping with more reading time I can find a balance again.

TBR Books

My top priority for the summer is to get ahead on my review copies. These are some of the ones I am most excited to read.

These are some of the new books coming out in June and July that I hope to read.

And finally, I have books on my TBR shelves that I desperately want to get to. We’ll have to see how the summer reading goes!

What are you planning to read this summer?

REVIEW: Wonder Woman Tempest Tossed by Laurie Halse Anderson

REVIEW: Wonder Woman Tempest Tossed by Laurie Halse Anderson

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and DC Entertainment in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

The Amazons were created by the Five Mothers – Athena, Aphrodite, Demeter, Artemis, and Hestia – to protect the world from great evil. As they wait to be called to duty, they train.

In the waiting, the queen of the Amazons longs for a child. And the Mothers grant her wish. Now it is Diana’s 16th birthday. For the last year she has had mood swings and fainting spells. But she’s hoping that is all over now that she is 16 because that would mean she can start training with the warriors.

During Diana’s birthday celebration, alarms sound. Refugees have broken through the barrier to their island. While the queen works to send the refugees away and repair the barrier, Diana defies her and dives into the ocean to save drowning children. Once she saves everyone, the barrier is repaired… with Diana on the outside. The island – her home – disappears.

Review

This was fantastic! It’s a great contemporary Wonder Woman story. Diana ends up in a camp with the refugees. Then she meets a couple of UN staff – a married couple named Steve and Trevor, who recognize her intelligence and her gift for languages and help her get to the US. There Diana gets to know her host family. She sees homeless people and gives food to hungry kids. Her sense of justice is strong and grows stronger. Then she takes on the issue of child trafficking.

All of the social issues covered in the book are age-appropriate (in my opinion) for teens. They are issues a lot of teens today are already concerned about.

I wasn’t clear if Diana’s “changeling” behavior is supposed to just be puberty or if there’s something more going on there. And the young woman from her host family runs hot and cold in ways that aren’t completely explained in the story. But in the end, the two of them fight side by side to care for the people who need help and a voice when no one will listen to them.

There are some unfinished story threads here, which makes me wonder if there might be a sequel. If so, I am here for it. DC continues to do an excellent job with the storytelling in their new graphic novels for kids and teens. You can check out more of my reviews here.

DC Entertainment has graciously shared some pictures of the artwork from the interior of the book.

 

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

BONUS REVIEW: Broken Genius by Drew Murray

BONUS REVIEW: Broken Genius by Drew Murray

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Oceanview Publishing in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Will Parker was one deal away from becoming the next Steve Jobs or Bill Gates. But a tech error – maybe from the arrogance of youth or success, or from the distraction of his next big deal – leaves a young woman dead and Will yakking into a trashcan, overwhelmed with shame and disgust. He can barely focus on the fact that at that exact same moment an earthquake is about to destroy the business deal that would have changed not only Will’s life and company, but also the world.

So Will becomes a special agent with the FBI – his penance for what he feels was an egregious and inexcusable error. And his tech expertise sends him to the middle of Indiana to work with a Special Agent from Counter Intelligence on a murder at a small comic convention.

Why would a murder at a comic convention require someone from Counter Intelligence? Or someone from Cyber? Because the dead man was found with a radioactive case in his hotel room – an empty one. And the space inside is just right to be the tech that disappeared from Japan in the wake of the earthquake and subsequent tsunami. The tech Will was going to buy all those years ago.

Review

This was fantastic!! I loved this twisty, suspenseful mystery/thriller. Will Parker was the key to my enjoyment of this book. He’s smart and geeky. But he’s also good at his job for the FBI (even if he’s not a great shot).

There’s TONS going on here with the murder, dangerous tech up for bid on the dark web, kidnapping, and the convention, not to mention the ties to Will’s past and his ongoing guilt about what happened. It was all excellent. The layers to this reminded me of a David Rosenfelt mystery, but this is a more active story since it’s law enforcement rather than trial work.

I read several passages of this aloud to my husband because I was enjoying the story so much. Eventually he picked up  his phone and ordered a copy of the book. I know he’s going to love this one. Mystery/thriller/suspense fans, especially those who enjoy stories with law enforcement officers, should not miss this one. It was a delight to read. I hope there will be more Will Parker books in the future. (Language, violence, off-page sex)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: Marshmallow Malice by Amanda Flower

REVIEW: Marshmallow Malice by Amanda Flower

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Kensington in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Juliet and the Reverend are getting married. Bailey and Aiden – as well as Jethro the pig – are their attendants. The whole community has turned out for the event, both the Amish and the “English.” Bailey’s biggest concern is the wedding cake – a four-tier cake with marshmallow frosting and pink fondant polka-dots. Ohio temperatures in July are not friendly for the decorations.

The real wrinkle in the day, though comes from the woman who stormed in during the middle of the wedding to create a scene for Reverend Brook. But no one could have anticipated that.

It was even less expected when Bailey later found the woman dead.

What was the woman’s connection to Reverend Brook? Why did she crash his wedding and call him a “traitor?” Who was the man Bailey saw her with after the wedding? Could the Reverend have been the one to kill her?

Review

This was great. The mystery was excellent! The pacing was perfect, as was the solution. I was caught completely off guard in the end. I loved that.

The ongoing character development pieces were interesting. I was pretty frustrated with Juliet and Jethro the pig early on. That pig is a menace! And there’s an interesting wrinkle in Aiden and Bailey’s relationship in this book. Bailey shows remarkable restraint in the face of rude condescension and manipulation. There are also developments in Juliet and the Reverend’s relationship in addition to the wedding. On top of all that is the lead up to Bailey’s new TV show (which hasn’t launched yet by the end of the book). The only thing that would have made me happier with this is to get some resolution with the nasty pretzel shop owners. Maybe that is coming in a book soon.

Fans of the Amish Candy Shop Mystery series should not miss this one. The mystery is top notch, and series regulars are in top form. I am also impressed by how well the author incorporated faith pieces into this so naturally. This is not published by a Christian publisher, but the faith pieces in this are supremely well done. I have read Christian novels that haven’t done as nice of a job.

It looks like Amanda Flower has three more books releasing this year – Mums and Mayhem, the next book in her Magic Garden series, releases in August. Its release date was pushed back due to the pandemic. Dead-End Detective, a new mystery from Hallmark Publishing, releases in August as well. Finally, Courting Can Be Killer, the second book in the Amish Matchmaker Mystery series releases in November. The author is even launching another new series in 2021 with the book Farm to Trouble, a Farm to Table Mystery. Flower fans have a lot to look forward to!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½