Category: Reviews

REVIEW: Moon Rising by Tui T. Sutherland

REVIEW: Moon Rising by Tui T. Sutherland

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

The War of Sandwing Succession is over and the Dragonets of Destiny have started a school so other dragons can learn about one another and old animosity might someday be overcome. But someone seems to be trying to cause trouble at the school – and commit murder. One Nightwing, Moon, has the legendary mindreading and prophecy gifts of her ancestors, so she’s getting clues about the culprit. But she’s afraid everyone will hate her if they find out what she can do.

Review

This is the graphic novel adaptation of the 6th novel in the Wings of Fire series. This kicks off my favorite arc of the series, and I was pleased with how this turned out. The artwork is gorgeous and does a great job with the story. But it’s still an adaptation of a larger story. This really whet my appetite to revisit the series again so I can enjoy the full experience.

Newcomers should probably start with book 1 to understand the references to the first arc, but I think this can stand alone. But to truly experience the story, I still think the full middle grade novel is the best bet. This graphic novel can be a great introduction for newcomers to the story, and it can also be a great visual experience for readers who already love the novel.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥ – Great! Might re-read.

REVIEW: Not Your Ex's Hexes by April Asher

REVIEW: Not Your Ex’s Hexes by April Asher

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and St. Martin’s Griffin in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. This book releases February 7th.]

Summary

At one time, Rose Maxwell was the Prima-apparent, training to take over from her grandmother one day. But when her sister Vi finally came into her magic (Not the Witch You Wed – ♥♥♥♥½), she became the heir. While Rose has been enjoying her freedom, she had been training to be Prima most of her life. And Rose is still trying to figure out what this means for her future.

When a well-intentioned animal rescue mission goes awry, Rose finds herself doing community service at the animal rescue which means working with the sexy – and grouchy – Damian Adams, a half-demon veterinarian. After a brief hook up weeks ago, Rose hasn’t been able to get Damian out of her head. But Rose is NOT looking for a relationship. And Damian is too infuriating to ever be a romantic possibility. So Rose is just going to clock her hours and then have nothing to do with the sexy vet ever again.

Review

This was fun! It took me a little longer to warm up to this than it did for book one, which I adored. (It was one of my top 10 reads in 2022.) Grumpy/Sunshine is not a trope I usually seek out, and the “half-demon” aspect of this put me on my guard. For me, there’s a line in the world of paranormal fantasy for what is harmless fun and what starts to push the horror/occultish side. But this remained on the fun side. I fell for Rose and Damian, and I really enjoy the world-building and community in this series.

The fantasy/paranormal elements here are secondary to the solid romantic story. He has history and is sure he can only share his bed, never his heart. She’s not looking for forever but finds it anyway in an unexpected place. The magical elements were icing on the cake – I love a magical setting!

Readers could start the series here – the story stands on its own. But you will want to pick up book 1 to get Vi’s story while we wait for book 3. And that will be a must-read for me. This book does some nice set up work for the next story – and I am here for it!

Grumpy/Sunshine fans, series fans, and paranormal romance fans should not miss this one! (Language, sex)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥ = Great! Might re-read.

REVIEW: Begin Again by Emma Lord

REVIEW: Begin Again by Emma Lord

Posted on by Jaymie

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

Summary

Andie has pulled off the impossible – a mid-year transfer to Blue Ridge State. It’s going to be perfect – she can experience all the things she has grown up hearing about. And she’s going to surprise her boyfriend, Connor, with the news that they will be at Blue Ridge State together.

Except nothing goes as planned.

Her first class is a disaster. She loses the pivotal ribbon in the scavenger hunt that was the primary reason for pushing to transfer mid-year. And then Connor announces his own surprise – he’s transferred home to go to the local community college with Andie.

As Andie tackles her first semester at Blue Ridge State, some of her expectations – for her relationship with Connor, for her quest to connect with her late mother by being at BRS, and for herself get challenged and leave her wondering what path she wants to be on after all.

Review

I have been a huge fan of Emma Lord for awhile. When You Get the Chance, You Have a Match, and Tweet Cute are some of my favorite YA stories of recent years. This story was a bit “quieter” for me – more introspective – but also a great read.

I connected with this story in a way I haven’t with the author’s earlier books. As a student of the Enneagram, I saw a lot of Type 2 thinking and behaving in Andie. This drew me to look at the story a bit more clinically rather than being able to just fall into the story. It’s good – and spot on. Just a different reading experience for me.

This is more Andie’s story than it is a romance. Oh, the romance is there – and it’s good! But Andie’s on a journey of personal growth and self-discovery that will have to take precedence over everything else. And the journey is so well done. I loved that the Andie is in college. It’s the perfect setting for her journey. There’s tons to love – from the dorm to the relationships to Bagelopolis. It’s all lovely.

There were several laugh-out-loud moments in this – as I’ve come to expect from the author – as well as great characters, and an engaging story. Emma Lord fans should not miss this one. And if the author is new to you, go ahead and pick up her backlist, too, because you are going to want to read them all! (Language)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥ = Great! Might re-read.

REVIEW: Enneagram Life by Elizabeth Bennett

REVIEW: Enneagram Life by Elizabeth Bennett

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary and Review

The full title of this book is Enneagram Life: Personal, Relational, and Biblical insights for All Seasons, and the author has also published a set of 60-day devotionals by type. So this comes from a Christian perspective.

This Enneagram resource was a fascinating read. The structure of the book – assigning content to different life stages – was clever and unique. It’s not often you save the topic of wings, for example, until the end! There are also some references to non-Enneagram things like birth order and introversion/extroversion and gender, but as they relate to the Enneagram, which was interesting. (The gender chapter references only male/female.) I learned a lot from working through this material, although I did stick mostly with my own number rather than reading broadly for each section/chapter.

My favorite section was the chapter on workplace stances. It gave me a fresh perspective on my workplace and co-workers. I will definitely be revisiting that material.

I don’t know that I would recommend this as a starting resource for Enneagram newbies – it includes some higher tier material like subtypes pretty early on. But I think after something like The Road Back to You, this could be a good second book. The author and I seem to both like this idea of starter material vs higher tier information as she has a tiered list of recourses at the end of the book as well.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥ = Great! Might re-read.

REVIEW: Cranky Chicken by Katherine Battersby

REVIEW: Cranky Chicken by Katherine Battersby

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary and Review

Cranky Chicken inadvertently saves a worm and finds herself with an unexpected, chipper friend.

As I said recently in another review, when it comes to books for adults, I don’t usually seek out the Grumpy/Sunshine trope. But when it comes to kids books, I love it! This reminds me a lot of Piggie and Gerald books or Ballet Cat in all the best ways. This made me laugh out loud more than once. Don’t miss this one!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥ = Great! Might re-read.

REVIEW: Dead and Gondola by Ann Claire

REVIEW: Dead and Gondola by Ann Claire

Posted on by Jaymie

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

Summary

Ellie Christie has returned home to work at the family store, the Book Chalet. The Colorado shop, accessible by ski gondola, is a book lovers’ destination! But when a mysterious man shows up at the shop looking for “Cece” and is later murdered, Ellie and her sister, Meg, start hunting for a killer.

 

Review

This was a lot of fun! I would definitely read more of these. El is a great point of view character, and her immediate family was lovely. There are the typical “colorful locals” that you expect from a cozy mystery series. The location was great – both the Chalet (a place I’d love to visit!) and the town. And the mystery was twisty! I was proud of my personal sleuthing skills to puzzle out the culprit, but the author kept me second guessing until the end.

If you love cozy mysteries – especially checking out new series – be sure to check this one out. The snowy setting is perfect for January reading, and there are some fun Agatha Christie trivia facts included.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥ = Great! Might re-read

REVIEW: Just Wild Enough by Marta Magellan

REVIEW: Just Wild Enough by Marta Magellan

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary and Review

Marta Magellan tells the story of primatologist Mireya Mayor in this delightful new picture book. Mireya Mayor has loved animals and been fascinated by them her whole life. “Wild” was kind of her vibe. The book chronicles her quest for the “wild” as she moved from dancer to NFL cheerleader to scientist. The media has called Mayor “the female Indiana Jones.” And this book briefly tells the story of her discovery of a new species of mouse lemur and her efforts to preserve its home.

My husband met Mayor at convention recently and picked this book up for me. And it’s terrific! I loved how the author wove “wild’ through her subject’s journey from childhood to her work as a primatologist. The author includes just enough information to round out the story, but she never gets too lost in details that might cause her to lose her audience. And the illustrations are engaging and beautiful. Classrooms and libraries in need of more picture book biographies, especially ones looking to highlight women in STEM, should considering adding this to their collections!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥ – Great! Might re-read

REVIEW: The Heretic Royal by G. A. Aiken

REVIEW: The Heretic Royal by G. A. Aiken

Posted on by Jaymie

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

Summary

Queen Annwyl the Bloody (Dragon Actually) – the Mad Queen – has come to Forgetown, the lands ruled by Keely, the Blacksmith Queen. And Annwyl is not alone. She has a group of shapeshifting dragons with her.

While Keely and her sister Gemma try to figure out what to make of the unpredictable woman and her dragon allies, their sister Ainsley is trying to make her mark and get her family to take her seriously. So when an opportunity arises for her to take a swipe at her sister Beatrix’s rival army, Ainsley and her friends take it.

Review

Wow! I have some mixed feelings on this one, but the bottom line is WOW. The epilogue left me gasping and growling. I read this 4 months ago, so I am looking at 16-18 months or more of waiting until book 4 releases. Ugh. I need it!

Almost a year ago, when I first saw the pre-order for this, the third book in the Scarred Earth Saga, I couldn’t hit the pre-order button fast enough. I was thrilled to get a chance to read an early review copy, something I treated myself to during my 2022 sabbatical. I have adored this series since I first heard about The Blacksmith Queen (♥♥♥♥♥).

That said, I struggled with this one. I loved the glimpses of Ainsley in the last book. But the fun, punchy moments earlier in the series became these longer fights with Gemma that were hard to enjoy. Also, the arrival of the dragons at the end of book 2 became a long “introduction” to this book, and it dragged. And I could not get a handle on the various dragons. (Readers who have read the author’s Dragon Kin series will not struggle like I did. I didn’t realize this was a crossover until after I finished reading.) But on the first read through, I couldn’t keep them straight. I would have loved more scenes with Ainsley and her friends, too. They were a curious trio, and I wanted more of them together, bantering and battling, which would have been a fun attempt to balance the more stagnant dragon parts. Also, the romance here was only okay. I didn’t feel it had the same build up – and fun – as in the previous two books.

To me, this felt like a transitional book, one with a goal of moving characters to wherever they need to go to be ready for book 4. So for me this lost something by not having a strong, driving story of its own. Most of the “action” here centered on Keely’s stronghold and trying to build an alliance, teeing things up for later.

That said, I am still fully invested in this Saga. I adored Isadora’s appearances in this book. I imagine the next book will be hers. I’m eager to read it, but that anticipation is tempered by the dragging parts of this one and the experience of loving Ainsley in bits and pieces earlier in the series, but not loving her quite so much when the full focus of a book was on her. But I have my fingers crossed for book 4 to be a better fit for me.

These books absolutely need to be read in order. You do not want to miss the amazingness of The Blacksmith Queen and The Princess Knight. I re-read both in preparation for this, and loved them just as much in a re-read as I did the first time through. I feel like this series is fantasy with hints of romance. If that sounds up your alley, pick up the whole trio of books out now so you are ready for book 4 when it releases. (Language, violence, gore, sex)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥ = Might re-read.

REVIEW: Astrid Parker Doesn't Fail by Ashley Herring Blake

REVIEW: Astrid Parker Doesn’t Fail by Ashley Herring Blake

Posted on by Jaymie

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

Summary

Astrid Parker’s design business is drying up, so she needs this job at the Everwood Inn to work. The television coverage alone will help bring in new business. But a coffee mishap on the first day leads to Astrid losing her cool and blowing up at the person who doused her in coffee – and that person turns out to not only be the carpenter on the job, but also a member of the Everwood family.

Jordan Everwood is lost and grieving. But that doesn’t mean she’s going to roll over and take whatever Astrid is dishing out. From their disastrous first meeting to Astrid’s designs that will erase the character of the one place Jordan considers “home,” Jordan will have none of it. Thankfully, the TV people seem to be enjoying the animosity between the two women. So Jordan will just keep giving them what they want.

Review

This is the second book in the Bright Falls series after Delilah Green Doesn’t Care, but the first book I have read. But I will be reading more. I really enjoyed these characters as well as the setting and the larger group around Jordan and Astrid. This is a very queer-positive series. As someone who picked this book up to get a little better feel for the queer community, that was a great bonus for me. The next book will be Iris Kelly Doesn’t Date, and I will definitely be picking that up to see what happens next for this group.

The individual journeys for Astrid and Jordan were fascinating.  I loved the peek we get into each character’s perspective on the budding relationship, but even more how they are handling the baggage they bring with them into the story. The surrounding cast is lovely, and I found the design descriptions for the Inn to be well done.  This was a great introduction to this series, and I had no issues understanding things without having read the first book, so other newcomers can definitely start here. (Language, sex. There’s also a thread on tarot cards and readings that spans the entire book.)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥ – Great!

REVIEW: The Gospel for Helpers by Tyler Zach

REVIEW: The Gospel for Helpers by Tyler Zach

Posted on by Jaymie

My YA review scheduled for today turned out to be a bust so instead I thought I would tell you a bit about a new Enneagram devotional I picked up this month. I have reviewed two of Tyler Zach’s previous devotionals in this series, but I have been waiting for it to be my turn – and that time has arrived!

I compared my husband’s copy of the book for his number to mine, and was pleased to see that they were different. This isn’t the sort of deal where every book follows the same outline, wedging in stuff for each type. And the entries I have read so far have been right on target. In fact, I have left each reading feeling  seen, understood, and valued, but also challenged or encouraged in some area of growth. There are spaces at the end of each entry for the reader to answer reflection questions. There’s also a prayer and a suggestion of how to respond to the material for that day.

If you have an Enneagram fan in your life, I think this devotional would make a great gift. There are devotionals for all of the numbers except 5, 7, and 8. I expect we will see those release in 2023.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥