Category: Reviews

BONUS REVIEW: The Long-Lost Secret Diary of the World's Worst Olympic Athlete by Tim Collins

BONUS REVIEW: The Long-Lost Secret Diary of the World’s Worst Olympic Athlete by Tim Collins

Posted on by Jaymie

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

Summary

Alexander is an nonathletic boy with big dreams. He wants to be a renowned hero. There’s even an oracle who says he will one day.

Then Alexander gets the chance to help Dracon who is travelling to the Olympics. Alexander is sure he can learn to do well in the various activities Dracon will do  in the Pentathlon. But he’s just awful at all of them.

This is especially bad news when Dracon falls ill and can’t compete. What will Alexander do in a contest against skilled, adult men? And why did Dracon get sick at the worst possible time?

Review

There are several other books in this series, but this is the first I have read. The diary format for this means everything is told after the fact, so some of the action is lost in the retelling. But the advantages – getting Alexander’s take on events and his thoughts and feelings – outweigh the disadvantages.

The story is reasonably engaging, although possibly predictable for some readers. There’s a slow build up to the big action of the story, but the final contest and the resolution were enjoyable.

Kids who love the Olympics and are missing the games this year might enjoy this story and the extensive end notes on the Olympics. There are also mid-chapter notes, but they are placed in a way that they are informative instead of interrupting the flow of the story. I really appreciated that detail.

Hand this to fans of diary-format stories as well as fans of the Olympic games. (As Olympians competed in the nude, illustrations include some bare backsides.)

Rating: ♥♥½*

*♥♥½ = Mostly solid to solid

REVIEW: Virtual Unicorn Experience by Dana Simpson

REVIEW: Virtual Unicorn Experience by Dana Simpson

Posted on by Jaymie

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

Summary and Review

In the latest comics collection/graphic novel starring Phoebe and her best friend Marigold Heavenly Nostrils, Phoebe explores life without her phone, unicorn court, and the science museum. She also hangs out with Lord Splendid Humility and her human friends Max and Dakota. Phoebe also learns about unicorn self-esteem, the Unicorn Investigative Agency, and the cut throat world of unicorn theater. She even gets to enjoy having a unicorn tail for awhile.

This collection is full of sass and sarcasm, unicorns and laughs. I completely enjoyed this one! One moment I was heartbroken for Marigold, and then the next I was laughing with her. I loved the full range of topics and adventures the two protagonists have together. This is one of my favorite books in the whole series.

This is book 12 in this long-running series! You can see my reviews of some of the other books here. You’ll also see posts where I talk about what makes Marigold a “memorable protagonist” and why I put this series in my list of “Must Have Graphic Novels” for kids in 2018. Hand this book – and the whole series – to graphic novel fans, unicorn fans, and kids who love smart and sassy characters!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: How to Live on the Edge by Sarah Lynn Scheerger

REVIEW: How to Live on the Edge by Sarah Lynn Scheerger

Posted on by Jaymie

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

Summary

Cayenne and Saffron lost their mother 14 years ago when they were 4 and 3 respectively. Since then, they’ve lived with their Aunt Tina and her family. Cayenne is about to finish high school, but she has no plans beyond that. It’s hard to be excited about your future when you know you are going to die early like every other woman in your family.

Cayenne and her boyfriend are adrenaline junkies, train jumping and cliff diving for thrills. Cayenne especially is looking for ways to feel “alive.” In her grief, she has even imagined a personification of death who feels like she is always lurking, coming for Cayenne one of these days.

Cayenne’s mom left some videos for the sisters to watch together before Cayenne graduates as a way for them to know her and for her to communicate some things to them as they become adults. Cayenne initially wants no part of them.

But when the girls’ aunt announces she has the BRCA gene and plans to have a preventative mastectomy, Cayenne is forced to face her fears about the family “curse” and the potential fate of the women she loves most.

Review

This is a realistic look at how people might respond to the weight of cancer risk. Cayenne believes the family history means she is going to die anyway, so she takes tremendous risks like she is daring Death. Saffron’s loss has left her afraid of losing someone else. And Aunt Tina is willing to do whatever it takes to reduce her risks in order to have as many healthy years with her family as possible. All of this felt realistic, and it all wove together so well.

Cayenne is the point-of-view character, so she’s the one we get to see grow the most. And her arc is tremendously satisfying. But the videos from their mom and their aunt’s genetic risk impact both of the girls over the course of the book. While Cayenne’s story is more dramatic, I preferred Saffron’s. I connected more with her character and her ways of coping. But the whole book is really well done.

I highly recommend this one for readers who want an emotional punch in their stories as well as readers who want to explore a story with a medical risk like cancer or grief and loss issues. This is a well-crafted story with tons to think about! (References to sex)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥ – Great!

 

BONUS REVIEW: The Eighth Detective by Alex Pavesi

BONUS REVIEW: The Eighth Detective by Alex Pavesi

Posted on by Jaymie

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

Summary

Years ago, mathematician Grant McAllister posited a math theory about literature, specifically murder mysteries. He privately published the theory along with a book of seven short mysteries to illustrate his ideas called The White Murders.

Julia Hart is working for a small publishing house that wants to re-publish the book for a wider audience. So she’s tracked Grant down and traveled to his seaside cottage to talk through the stories in the book in order to prepare them for publication.

Except Julia has noticed some oddities and inconsistencies in the stories. She’s hoping Grant will be able to explain them to her. Maybe they are the innocent errors of a writing novice. Or maybe there’s a connection to an unsolved murder from over 20 years ago.

Review

The book launches with the first short story in The White Murders before introducing readers to Julia and Grant in chapter 2. The rest of the book toggles back and forth between the short stories and Julia’s work on the manuscript.

Honestly, I felt the short stories were more engaging than the larger story of the novel which is the Grant/Julia piece. If I was rating the short stories alone, I’d give them 4 stars. But the Julia/Grant portion was maybe a 2 star read on it’s own. So my overall rating for the book is an average of the two.

The Julia and Grant story never clicked for me. There wasn’t a lot of time in the book for readers to really get a feel for the characters. It’s a lot of Julia pushing and probing for information Grant doesn’t want to give and him telling her how little he remembers of the stories in the book. And the math pieces of this – Venn diagrams, sets and subsets – felt so basic (as far as “math” goes). Even the application to mysteries – killers and suspects and victims and detectives – wasn’t much of a revelation. It was a stretch for me to think this work was anything “significant” enough to warrant a first book much less a republication. There ARE twists to this part of the book, but they weren’t enough to elevate my enjoyment of it, and in some ways they undercut my enjoyment of the short stories. That said, I DID enjoy the short stories, though some were more violent/gruesome than I usually read.

This one is a mixed bag for me. Come for the short stories. If they work for you, awesome. I think you can easily just read the short stories – they are basically every other chapter of the book. If you like the short stories enough to stick around for the larger story, good for you. You will have some twists and turns in store. (LGBTQ+)

Rating: ♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥ = “Solid/Fine”

REVIEW: The Falcon Always Wings Twice by Donna Andrews

REVIEW: The Falcon Always Wings Twice by Donna Andrews

Posted on by Jaymie

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

Summary

Meg’s grandmother, Cordelia, has recruited the family into helping with her weekend Renaissance Faire. Meg’s dad is in the first aid tent, her earthy cousin is selling potpourris, and Meg is doing blacksmithing demos and serves as Cordelia’s second-in-command. And Meg’s husband is creating the “story” for the Faire, and wrangling the actors. Michael’s story sets the Faire in a made up kingdom where various factions fight for who will succeed the queen when her reign ends.

Unfortunately, Terence, the actor playing their resident villain/troublemaker is a little too good at being the bad guy. He’s managed to alienate most of the actors and get someone fired from their job in the world outside the Faire. He’s on notice that if he puts one toe out of line, he’ll be fired.

So when Meg finds him dead, no one is really very surprised. The larger issue is weeding through all the people who had a reason to want Terence gone for good in order to find his killer.

Review

Meg Langslow and her family + a Renaissance Faire.

That’s all I had to hear before I decided this was a must read for me. I have loved Meg and her family since I first read Murder with Peacocks. Meg’s life, and the full cast, has changed over the course of 27 books, but these stories never disappoint.  Reading a Meg Langslow book is like coming home. I’d love to go back and re-read some of the early books again some time. This is a terrific series!

The RenFaire setting for this was fantastic. We used to visit one in the summers, and I miss it. I loved the descriptions here and the way Meg’s husband developed the “story” for their Faire. It’s also an excellent setting for bringing in new characters for the mystery.

The mystery here is great. I puzzled out the killer, but for a long time it looked like my guess was going to be wrong. The final confrontation was terrific as was the wrap up of all the story threads in the end.

I don’t think you have to have read the previous 26 books to appreciate this, although it does help readers have context for the major characters. But if you haven’t read a Meg story before, and you love cozy mysteries and Renaissance Faires, you should absolutely check this one out! Of course, Meg’s fans will not want to miss another terrific story. You’ll also want to put the next book, The Gift of the Magpie, on your wish list. It releases in October. (LGBTQ+)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥*

*I have a new rating system. 4 stars= “Great! Might re-read.”

REVIEW: Star Wars The Clone Wars: Stories of Light and Dark

REVIEW: Star Wars The Clone Wars: Stories of Light and Dark

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

These are 11 short stories from the Star Wars Universe that take place during the Clone Wars. The stories are told from the perspective of one character. Every story is adapted from one or more episodes of the Clone Wars TV series – 3 from season 1, 1 from season 3, 5 from season 4, and 2 from season 5.

Review

When I started the first story, “Sharing the Same Face,” I was struck immediately by how familiar everything seemed. Sure enough, after some research on Wookiepedia, I turned on the first episode of the series, “Ambush,” and followed along. Yes, there were extra bits of Yoda’s musings on clones and individuality, and their engineering to follow orders. But essentially the story was one I had watched in the show.

I read through six of the eleven stories this way – looking for an episode with a similar descriptions and watching along while reading – before realizing that every short story was based on the show. (Readers can look up the title of each short story on Wookiepedia, and it will list the episode(s) involved.) That’s when I stopped reading.

Somewhere along the way I missed that these were adaptations rather than original stories. And I was disappointed.

Taken alone, the adaptations are good. There’s a reason Star Wars is such a huge property. These are great characters and stories. And I liked the tidbits of personal content or thought processes that were included. But for the stories I read, the new, original material was only a small bit of the whole story.

Readers who are Star Wars fans who like novelizations of the movies might enjoy these retellings. There are plenty of very positive reviews for this book. I don’t know if readers who aren’t somewhat versed in the Clone Wars show will be able to follow all of the stories here because some reference characters, places, and events that aren’t in the main 9 films. But readers who already love the show may enjoy this look at those stories. There is an audience for this book.

That audience is not me, though. I wanted new stories with my favorite characters. Or new stories that endeared other characters I didn’t already love to me. I wanted to see the Star Wars Universe expanded. It’s why I read Star Wars and Star Trek novels. If I had bought this and then discovered it was only adaptations of episodes I have already seen (some multiple times), I would have felt betrayed.

For readers who understand what this is, and who are eager to read it, I think this could be a 3 or 3.5 star book – or more. I personally didn’t find a lot of new insights in this. So for me it was a 2 star read, which means “finished (or not), but didn’t like, not a good fit”

Rating: ♥♥

REVIEW: The Game by Linsey Miller

REVIEW: The Game by Linsey Miller

Posted on by Jaymie

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

Summary

In the spring, the thoughts of the seniors at Lincoln High turn to college acceptance letters – and murder.

Well, not actual murder. Just to the annual game of Assassins. Armed with water guns, the teens of Lincoln track their peers with the hope of being the last one standing.

Lia Prince is counting on Assassins to be her claim to fame. Always in her older brother’s shadow, Lia is determined to make her name here. She’s been observing her classmates’ schedules for months, planning her strategy for this moment.

But when one of the players dies in an accident, the Assassin game is in jeopardy. When a second dies, and NOT in an accident, it’s clear something more than some good clean fun is going on in Lincoln.

Review

I knew this was billed as a mashup of Agatha Christie’s The ABC Murders (which I know of but haven’t read) and Riverdale (which I’ve never seen). But I didn’t expect the tie-ins to the Christie mystery to be as clear as they were, starting with even the email address for the Council that is running the game. It was a clever set up for Christie, and it’s still a clever set up here. Those who aren’t familiar with the original mystery will probably catch on to the scheme quickly.

I enjoyed the suspense of this and the idea of a harmless game that turns deadly. The suspense and the stakes bring to mind books like #Murder Trending (♥♥♥♥) and thrillers by Karen McManus (One of Us is Lying – ♥♥♥♥, Two Can Keep a Secret). This one wasn’t as well executed as those, but there were some good moments.

The emotional beats to this didn’t click for me. I didn’t care for Lia or any of the other main characters. I also didn’t lock into Lia’s obsession over this game. She explained it several times in the book, but I wasn’t emotionally hooked into her rationales. She was pretty over-the-top in her preparation and her compulsion to put herself in danger for the sake of this game. I didn’t feel like the case for her drive was as clearly made as it could have been. I felt like her reputation as a puzzle person was more told rather than shown, and this skill/gift of hers wasn’t really reflected in the story.

Fans of thrillers, fans of The ABC Murders, and those intrigued by the premise of this one should consider it. If you are new to the genre, this might be a nice starting spot. A weird, mysterious ending could indicate that there is a sequel planned, which I know will make fans of this story excited to see what is next for Lia and her friends. (Violence)

Rating: ♥♥½*

*I have a new rating system. ♥♥½ is “Mostly solid to solid. May have some issues.”

BONUS REVIEW: The Love Scam by MaryJanice Davidson

BONUS REVIEW: The Love Scam by MaryJanice Davidson

Posted on by Jaymie

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

Summary

Rake Tarbell is having a bad day. He woke up hungover in a strange hotel room. In Venice, Italy. But he has no memory of going there. He also has no wallet, no phone, and he’s fallen into the canal. And the tip of the iceberg? When he finally finds his way to his bank accounts to get some money, he finds them empty.

All of that is epically bad. But in the middle of discovering how much trouble he’s in, he also meets a woman who says the girl at her side – Lillith – is his daughter.

So now Rake is in Italy with no money, no ID or passport, no phone to call his family, and a kid he doesn’t know but might be responsible for. Thankfully, the woman who brought Lillith to him, Delaney, is willing to help him. They just have to dodge thugs, stuff Easter baskets, and figure out why Rake’s life has turned upside down.

Review

What a hoot! I got a huge kick out of Rake and this whole story. Apparently this takes place concurrently with book one, Danger, Sweetheart, which I have not read. I feel like I picked the right book, and the right brother of the Tarbell twins, though. Rake is obnoxious early on, but I warmed up to him. (His brother, on the other hand, always felt like a jerk whenever he appeared in this book.) Lillith is also a complete delight. I love adult books with fantastic kid characters. And Lillith is brilliant, both literally and figuratively.

The “mysteries” of what Delaney and her friends are up to, what happened to Lillith’s mother, and what happened to Rake’s money were engaging. I enjoyed watching it all unfold, and I laughed loudly and often as I waited for things to be resolved. This was a ton of fun, and I’m glad I tried it out!(Language, sex, some violence)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

REVIEW: Paw and Order by V. M. Burns

REVIEW: Paw and Order by V. M. Burns

Posted on by Jaymie

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

Summary

Lilly Ann had convinced her bosses at the Chattanooga Museum to host the Eastern Tennessee Poodle Rescue Association’s fundraiser when their venue fell through. It would garner funds for the museum as well as goodwill as they helped out the charity.

Having wealthy recluse Archibald Lowry show up was a big surprise. Lilly Ann’s friend, Dixie, had been courting him as a donor for the Rescue, but no one expected him to show up for the fundraiser. It might have been better for him if he had stayed home, though. Before the event was over, Archibald Lowry was dead.

Now Lilly Ann is fostering Archibald’s poodle, and that seems to be bringing trouble to her doorstep. When someone repeatedly tries to steal the dog, and someone else ends up dead, Lilly Ann and her friends decide it’s time to kick off a new investigation.

Review

Other than the fact that this is a book about all manner of poodles, yet the dog on the cover is not a poodle, I have only great things to say about this mystery!

This is book 4 in the Dog Club Mystery series, but it’s the first one I have read. But I have already placed the first 3 books on my To Read list (along with the first book of the author’s other series – The Mystery Bookshop series – The Plot Is Murder!). This was so good, and I liked the characters so much, I don’t want to miss any of their adventures.

I prefer to start a series at the beginning, but I had no issues following the plot of this one. There are a number of core series characters in the Dog Club that I had to track carefully in the beginning since I had no context for them from the earlier books. But by the middle of this, it was no longer an issue. The author does a great job making sure readers can drop in wherever and still follow the story.

The mystery here is fantastic. I loved how Lilly and her friends banded together to investigate. The sleuthing was great, the pacing of the mystery was excellent, and the ending wrapped up most of my questions. This is a series I will definitely be following in the future!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

BONUS REVIEW: Mask by Kate Hannigan

BONUS REVIEW: Mask by Kate Hannigan

Posted on by Jaymie

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

Summary

At first glance, Josie, Mae, and Akiko look like normal girls. But in reality, they are the Infinity Trinity. Thanks to some special artifacts – a cape, a mask, and some boots, the girls are superheroes.

Akiko’s family has been taken to an internment camp because of World War II and the attack on Pearl Harbor. But she gets word her mother has gone missing from the camp. And she’s not the only person missing. Several superheroes, like Zenobia, have gone missing as well.

As the girls start looking for Akiko’s mother, they run into a new villain on the scene, a clown called Side-Splitter. Side-Splitter is setting off bombs around San Francisco and trying to destroy American Naval vessels. The Infinity Trinity have their hands full with this guy!

Review

I love the creativity and uniqueness of this series. This is a re-imagined WWII story where superheroes are real. The racial issues of the time – like the internment camps – are present. Real historical figures are mentioned. The real role of women in the war is also reflected in the story. As with book 1, there are extensive end notes that let readers know which parts of this fantasy tale are anchored in reality.

The final art for the graphic novel sections of the book were not available in my review copy, but there were descriptions of what will be included in the final art. I think readers will enjoy this fun feature to this series. I love the creativity of including comic panels – this is a superhero story after all – into a prose novel.

While there is a lot about this series that I love, I struggled with the pacing of this story. There were several sections that dragged for me. In this story there are several times where the girls are puzzling out coded messages, and it’s hard to put action into moments when they are listening and thinking. There are fight scenes, of course, but this particular story also has quieter moments of thinking, of empathizing with Akiko as she stresses over her mom’s role in the Side-Splitter’s plans, etc. The great features I have already mentioned, though, make up for the slower sections of the story telling for me.

There are several unresolved threads here, including the missing superheroes, to lead readers to book 3. These books should definitely be read in order. Be sure to check out the first book in the League of Secret Heroes series, Cape.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥