Review: Firstborn by M.J. Hastings

Firstborn by M.J. Hastings
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC and ALC of this book via Netgalley all opinions are my own.

This reminded me a bit of An Ember in the Ashes, atleast when it came to Bryn and the firstborn soldiers training to be a soldier. If you are fan of YA dystopian/fantasy in the vein of The Hunger Games or An Ember in the Ashes I think you would enjoy this.

In this world children are broken up by birth order, firstborns train to be soldiers, second borns are scholars, and third borns are taken but don't ask questions about where or why. Bryn is first in her family and best in her class, the annual tradition of the Long Night is approaching where firstborns must kill or be killed to graduate training. She is expected to win, but the night before discovers a plot involving her brother and sister. While she has tried to push them away and put her country first, she can't shake the connection she has with them and the fact the they might be in danger or involved in something dangerous.

This had good action, world-building, decent pacing, and a good amount of action to keep things moving and interesting. I do hope to see more character development as the series progresses. Bryn for as great as a soldier in training was, didn't always act like a soldier in the field when it came time to fight and her relationship with her siblings and other people in general needs alot of work There is alot going on in this politics, corruption, magic, and more. I will say I almost DNFed this when a love triangle entered the picture. I never liked them and thought we were done with those about 10 years ago.

I appreciated that while there was romance, it didn't overwhelm the plot. It was there but more of a subplot not a main plot. It also wasn't super spicy.

Overall, I enjoyed this debut. I can't wait to see where it goes from here.

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Review: Hawk & Sparrow by Anana Gray

Hawk & Sparrow by Ayana Gray
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC and ALC of this book via Netgalley all opinions are my own.

This follows Vesper, an ambitious female reporter in an age when women are still breaking into the working world.  Vesper is invited to attend and report on the happenings of a high society gala when the unimaginable happens.  The guest of honor is found murdered after revealing an invention that could change the lives of everyone.  In this world, those with sorcery live in luxury but they must study for many years to learn the language that allows them to use magic.  This new machine will bring sorcery to those without magic.  The host of the event happens to be a sorcerer and the main suspect.  Valuing Vesper's investigative prowess, Max hires her to help prove his innocence. 

I enjoyed parts of this book, but overall I felt underwhelmed.  The pacing was too slow and the romance didn't work for me.  There wasn't much chemistry between Vesper and Max, but they love each other by the end.  Perhaps that was intentional and appropriate given the time period this is set in, but I needed more emotion and tension from them.  Vesper constantly talks about Tom, the owner of the paper who took her in when she was orphaned and gave her a place to stay and a job, but we never get to know this  father figure who is so important to her.  I did enjoy the investigation and the mystery part of the plot.

I enjoyed the social commentary that the magic machine drew parallels between today's use of AI without checks and balances.  Max brings up the years of study he had to go through to understand the consequences and nuance of using the magical language, without understanding it can cause great harm.  Today we have AI that spits out hallucinations and makes up information that people take as truth.  Without boundaries and smart people to guide it, AI can also cause great harm.  There is also quite a bit of social commentary about the class system in place and gender discrimination.

While this wasn't for me, I think this will be great for younger readers or readers who are looking for a fun magical mystery.

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Review: The AI-Driven Leader: Harnessing AI to Make Faster, Smarter Decisions

The AI-Driven Leader: Harnessing AI to Make Faster, Smarter Decisions by Geoff Woods
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I was provided an ALC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

This is geared more toward C-suite and executive leadership and how to get your company to adopt AI, but I still found some interesting takeaways.

We are starting to adopt AI at work, but not everyone has a full license to use the tools yet.  The author addresses how to get your teams excited about adopting AI.  We are all excited to use the tools, however we are limited in capability by the license issue and by the data it has access to because of the type of work we do.  The author addresses these types of issues which made me think a bit differently about how I can use the tool in my day to day.  He also addresses better ways to use AI and how to learn how to use it to start getting the returns you want.  It works better if you start asking it the right types of questions using it as a thought partner but you have to know how to harness it.

Overall, this gave me some ideas on how to think about using AI tools in the future.  While I'm not in an executive position, I can still use the framework Woods lays out to use in some of the work I do.

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Review: Wisdom Corner: A Novel by David Heska Wanbli Weiden

Wisdom Corner: A Novel by David Heska Wanbli Weiden
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC and ALC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

I didn't realize this was a follow up to Winter Counts, but I'm so glad I picked this up. I wouldn't necessarily call it a sequel, because it reads as a complete standalone.  But both books follow the same main character as he attempts to solve a crime on the Rosebud Indian Reservation.

In Winter Counts Virgil Wounded Horse was more of an enforcer who took the law into his own hands when the Native Police and the FBI ignore the crime on the reservation or take too long to investigate.  Vigilantes like Virgil mete out justice as needed when someone steps out of line or wrongs his tribe.  In Wisdom Corner, Virgil has given up the enforcer life, but it hasn't quite let him go.  He is trying to do honest work, be a good role model, and help the tribe where he can.  When his mentor is found murdered he is determined to find out what happened and his former lifestyle and skill will come in handy.  His girlfriend, who doesn't love the enforcer lifestyle is always supportive of him, but she is running for the tribal council and is stressed as the election nears.  Virgil may not be better at enforcing than he is at detective work but he slowly gathers all of the pieces and puts everything together.

This was a great read.  It hits on the social commentary aspect of Native American culture and treatment historically and in today's society.  It also speaks to the Native boarding schools that tore families apart in the United States and Canada giving a historical and educational element to the book as well as educating the reader on the rampant drug and alcohol problems within Native society today.  The author does a wonderful job of weaving all of the elements of the story together in a seamless way while taking you on a thriller journey to find out  who is at the center of the crime.  I was immersed in the story, location, and connected to the characters.  While I enjoyed the fictional plot I also learned real things from this book as well, it is rare that an author can keep you entertained while teaching you something at the same time.  

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Review: Letters from the Last Apothecary by Bita Behzadi

Letters from the Last Apothecary by Bita Behzadi
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided both an ARC and ALC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

This was delightfully cozy.  The letters back and forth between Ms. Davis and Mr. Clarke definitely reminded me of Divine Rivals.  Our main characters begin writing letters to each other under pen names when Josephine Pinova can't find a book at the magical library as she studies for entrance into the Institute of Magic.  Aufidius Reid happens to have the book Josie is looking for as he too is studying for entrance into the Institute, and they begin exchanging letters about their studies and experiments with magic.  They fall for each other through their letters, but when they meet it is not the meet cute you would expect.  Reid works at one of the last magical apothecaries where Josie happens to be shopping.  Her knowledge is exceptional as is her customer service, and he finds her infuriating.  Little does he know she is the sweet, kind, helpful Ms. Davis whom he has been writing to for months.  Josie and Reid must work together to save the shop from closing both financially and from the external dangers that threaten the shop.  If only they could work together like Ms. Davis and Mr. Clarke do on paper.

I can't wait for more books in this series!  I loved Josie and Reid.  You go in knowing who their pen names are and that they don't know each other's real identities.  You also know that it is only a matter of time before they figure it out.  I didn't expect the murder mystery aspect of the book to play such a prominent part, but it worked well as a plotline as Josie and Reid were figuring out their relationship.  I look forward to seeing what happens next in this world whether it be with Josie and Reid or different characters.  I love a good cozy fantasy, and this had a nice blend of other genres to keep the reader interested and the pacing was good as well!

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Review: The Children by Melissa Albert

The Children by Melissa Albert
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I was provided an ALC and ARC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

I'm not quite sure how I feel about this book.  This follows Guinevere aka Guin for short in the present as an adult as she releases her memior about growing up with a famous author for a mother and being the muse for one of the main characters in her mother's beloved books.  Guin paints a picture that everything was great and living off of her mother's estate she is the picture perfect face of her mother's beloved legacy.  She hasn't spoken to her brother Ennis since they were orphaned as children, and as he announces a secretive art show, her facade begins to crumble.  Guin's carfully crafted persona begins to crumble as people begin to ask questions about their childhood that are off limits and she desperately seeks out her brother ahead of his show.  

As Guin spirals in the present we are alternately taken back to the past where we find Guin and Ennis running barefoot through the forest playing make believe and fending for themselves most of the time.  Their mother is holed up in her writing room or throwing lavish parties, while their father is trying to make a comeback in acting or the arts.  Those who spend too long in their farmhouse experience strange dreams and recognize that there is something strange about the house.  As adult Guin faces these strange events in her childhood she realizes that they were the key to her mother's success as and author, and perhaps the key to her brother's eerie success as an artist.  

Overall I liked the concept of this book, but there were parts that dragged on for me where nothing happened.  The narration was very good, but every time I put this down, I found myself not wanting to pick it up again, but then something would happen to pull me back in.  The reveal at the end, while creative and interesting, I do feel could have been don't earlier and flushed out a bit more.  The author always does a great job building a great atmosphere in her books and did a great job building up to the reveal, letting the reader know that while the children were being neglected by their parents, something just wasn't right.   I wanted more time with the house and the gothic aspects of the past versus present Guin trying to find Ennis to figure out what he was going to reveal in his art.  Overall this was good, but didn't check all the boxes for me.

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Review: The Final Target by Nora Roberts

The Final Target by Nora Roberts
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided an ALC and ARC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

This follows Arden from publishing her first book through her successful career as an author.  As she is gaining success she meets Dustin, an eager fan with a bit too much enthusiasm.  He sets off all of the alarm bells after coming to one too many events, and oversteps the line of fan to stalker very quickly.  After things take a violent turn, Arden moves across the country to seek the peace, quite, and safety she so desperately needs.  She also finds community and support in the small Oregon town.  While Arden is putting her life back together, Dustin is building their life together in his head after he gets released from psychiatric treatment.  Can her found family protect her or has she built up the skills she needs to protect herself from the privileged stalker when he comes for her a second time?

I really enjoyed getting to know Arden, her friends, and her family.  The author did a really good job with her character development and did a great job making Dustin's character horribly creepy.  His personality and ideals were something to behold, and not in a good way.  The cast of characters was well developed, and I love a good found family element to any book.  There is a nice romance element but it isn't over the top.  January LaVoy's narration as always is phenomenal.  Her work is always top notch.

I did find this to be a bit formulaic and predictable when compared to a few of Robert's more recent novels.  The plot and characters were similar in nature to a few of her books in the last few years.  Does that mean it wasn't entertaining?  Absolutely not, I still enjoyed it and the characters were engaging.

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Review: We Burned So Bright by T.J. Klune

We Burned So Bright by T.J. Klune
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided an ALC and ARC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

This was a sad one, but it also contains hopeful moments as Don and Rodney face the end of the world.  Be sure to check the trigger warnings before starting this one and have a box of tissues nearby as this one gets quite emotional, especially at the end.

Don and Rodney have been together for over 40 years, and as the world faces annihilation they have a promise to keep that will take them across the country during Earth's last days.  They are opposites with Don being friendly and outwardly caring, while Rodney is gruff and a bit of an introvert.  Their journey not only has them personally facing their own emotions and reflecting on their own lives, feelings, and regrets; but they also meet a host of people doing the same.  Some are good people just wanting to share space and live their best lives with other good people as things come to an end, while others just can't comprehend what is happening and act in unexpected ways.

This book asks the question "did I do the best I could, and was it good enough?" which as a parent I really related to.  I really enjoyed the vast cast of characters the couple encounters along their journey.  They really cause them to reflect on their feelings and charge forward with their mission.  As the story unfolds we find out their true goal, and it truly is lovely but this is an emotional rollercoaster for sure.  As always TJ Klune knows how to break you in such a beautiful way.

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Review: Japanese Gothic by Kylie Lee Baker

Japanese Gothic by Kylie Lee Baker
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided both an ALC and ARC via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

This is told in alternating points of view and alternating timelines interwoven with tales of ghost stories and Japanese lore.  Lee lives in the present and has cone to visit his father in Japan after taking a break from NYU.  He knows something happened with his roommate, but he's in a haze of pills and can't quite remember what happened.  He's hoping for a respite in his father's home in Japan, a chance to detox and remember what happened with the comforting meals that his dad's girlfriend cooks.  Instead Lee finds that the house is strange and a strange woman walks around at night brandishing a katana.

Sen lives in 1877 and her father is one of the last remaining samurai after their excile in Japan.  He came back from war a changed man, but is determined to keep samurai traditions and teachings alive.  Sen is desperate for his approval and will do anything to be considered a samurai in his eyes.  She too sees a strange white man from time to time walking around her home and grounds.  

As the story unfolds, you get the feeling that something is amiss but you aren't quite sure what it is.  The story takes on the air of an unreliable narrator at some point but the telling is so well crafted you don't even notice that it happened.  Both Sen and Lee are connected by a strange door in a house that that carries history and memories.  He is trying to figure out the trauma that occurred in his past, while she is awaiting the trauma in her future.  The slower pace worked well here as the story unfolds and the characters move between time to uncover what happened in each of their timelines.  Terrible things happen in both of their lives, which Baker describes with atmospheric and vivid detail.

This is full of twists and turns and takes you on a wild ride.  I loved the horror elements and the historical elements.  This was excellent!

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Review: Deathly Fates by Tesia Tsai

Deathly Fates by Tesia Tsai
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided both an ARC and an ALC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

This was a unique YA fantasy that follows a priestess who guides the dead back to their loved ones for their last rites.  Kang Siying's most recent client is an important one with a generous commission that her family desperately needs.  She must travel to the most recent site where the two warring territories solders have fought to find the missing prince, reanimate his remains, and return them to the king's palace to receive her payment.  When she performs her rituals, things go awry, and the prince doesn't just reanimate, he returns to life but with weakened qi.  Siying must find a way to restore his qi, or Prince Ren will truly perish.  In their travels Siying must balance her duty to her family and her contract, while also educating Ren on all of the things he doesn't know about life outside of the palace.  As they complete more tasks and meet more people as Ren restores his qi, he realizes that there is much he doesn't know about his father the king and his beloved brother.  He has much to learn about politics and the unrest in their land.

I really enjoyed the narration, and it worked well as Siying and Ren went on their adventures.  There was a lot of emotion going on between the two as they get to know each other and as she bites her tongue about how people live and barely survive and the illness that plagues her family.  She often scolds Ren about his place in the royal family and his naivety about what is truly happening.  His cluelessness and carefree attitude was a nice balance to her more serious demeanor.  While there is a bit of a slow burn romance element, it is very clean and sweet.  The spirit element  would be more disturbing for young readers than the romance, but even that isn't very gory.  I thought the pacing was good and the lore and magic had a purpose and explanation.

This was a very well done debut and I look forward to reading more from this author in the future!

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Review: Accidentally Marrying the Mafia Don: a smutty age gap romance by Evie Rose

Accidentally Marrying the Mafia Don: a smutty age gap romance by Evie Rose
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I was proved an ALC of this book via Netgalley all opinions are my own.

This was a fun, mafia romance.  Silver fox and uncle of the bride Dante is determined to make sure his niece has the perfect Italian wedding.  When everything starts to go wrong on the big day the mafia boss improves and works with what he's got to make things go off without a hitch.  This is where junior hairdresser Ruby comes in, she is quick on her feet and available to stand in as a witness and bridesmaid when disaster strikes.  Ruby and Dante have immediate chemistry, but their 18 year age difference and her inexperience give him pause.  Fortunately for Dante and Ruby, his meddling sister believes in romance and love at first sight and make sure they get together by way of marriage certificate.  I thought that was a funny way to deal with forced proximity and instalove.  

As this is a novella, there isn't a ton of time to get to know our characters, but the author does manage to fit in a lot of information in a short amount of time.  There were a few statements about Ruby's relationship with her mom that I hoped were going to be expanded, but they were left unexplored.  I did appreciate that our characters don't just jump right into bed and get to spicy times together, they do spend some time getting to know one another a bit until things get down and dirty.  Things do get dirty if you know what I mean.  

This is the first book I've read by the author and there are other books in the series so I'm not sure if they are connected, but this does read as a standalone novella.  This was light and fun, and perfect for a 1-2 sitting read.  While the mafia is mentioned there is no violence, the focus is purely on the romance.

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Review: This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me by Ilona Andrews

This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me by Ilona Andrews
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided an ALC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

This was my first time reading from this author, and I don't know what rock I've been living under but they have a ton of fantasy works that I now need to check out. This is the first book in a new series following Maggie, who is from our world in the current day. She somehow ends up waking up in the middle of her favorite unfinished fantasy novel series. She uses her intimate knowledge of the series to insert herself into the politics and plotlines of the characters. This makes both allies and enemies for Maggie, but it also helps her put together a sort of found family to help and protect her as she moves through the story within a story.

This is full of all of the things you could possibly want in a fantasy novel. It has political intrigue, plotting, scheming, betrayals, assassins, magical creatures, mages, magic wielding families, and more. This isn't going to be for everyone. It is told in almost a flashback sort of format as Maggie often has to recap what she knows from her near perfect recall of the "books" to her allies and to prove that she is trustworthy to new people that she meets as the story progresses. She is treated as a seer or prophet since what she says almost always comes true in some fashion. The more she "helps" the more the timelines and events change, but the heart of the fantasy world she is living in stays the same. The character building and world-building suffer at the hands of continuing to tell the story within the story to set up Maggie's relationship with the world and the characters. I expect as the series continues, her knowledge is going to run out and she will experience the world organically. I enjoyed the relationships Maggie is able to build with her crew and how quickly she was able to operate in this strange land. I liked the pacing and the action and all of the political posturing and scheming. I was entertained the entire book. This does end on a pretty big cliffhanger, which sets up the next book. There are still alot of threads left to explore from the this book. We have yet to find out how Maggie got to Kair Toren and if she will ever find a way back to the "real" world. She also isn't really looking for the answer to that question.

I loved the narrator! There are a ton of characters in this book, and she was able to give each one of them a distinct voice. She narrated each character some with accents some without with emotion and tone appropriate to the scene. Fantastic job!

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Review: Wolf Worm by T. Kingfisher

Wolf Worm by T. Kingfisher
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided an ALC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

This is another weird one from Kingfisher, but I expect nothing less at this point. If you are not a fan of insects, I would steer clear of this one as they are mentioned quite a bit in this book.  I'm not a fan of creepy crawlies myself, but as long as they stay in their environment and out of mine, I respect their place in the circle of life.

Set in the late 1890's in North Carolina, Sonia Wilson is looking for a job.  Her father has recently passed, and there isn't much work for women in general let alone a naturalist.  Sonia is a talented painter and scientific illustrator, and while her father had made a name for himself in the scientific community, Sonia's name does not carry much weight during this time period.  She has not had much luck finding gainful employment, until the cranky, reclusive Dr. Halder offers her a position working on his unfinished book.  Halder's area of study is entomology, which is not Sonia's expertise but she needs the work and is quickly able to put her talents to good use.

During her stay at the Halder manor, Sonia begins to notice some strange things about the insects she is illustrating.  She asks scientific questions of her patron, and only more questions begin to bubble up.  She begins to question strange things she sees in the woods around the house, local stories and lore she hears from the housekeeper and the local healer.  The more answers Sonia gets the darker the truth seems to get.  Sonia isn't sure if it is her anxiety manifesting or if something truly sinister going on around her.

I enjoyed this gothic tale.  There is a slow buildup to the action, but once things start happening things start to speed up from there. This was a more atmospheric book, as I find most gothic novels to be, where you know something creepy is going to happen and things build up to that. I thought the slower pacing in the beginning worked well to help build to the reveal of what was really  happening and who the true villain was. It was an interesting mix of science, social topics, and horror.  The author does a wonderful job building out the world describing things in specific paint colors as Sonia would paint them from the eye of an artist.  I believe the author is an artist (former illustrator) as well so this was a nice touch.  This really amps up the ick factor as the horror elements are revealed in the second half of the book as things are described and the atmospheric elements really close in.  Again if you aren't into bugs and body horror, this isn't going to be for you.  Kingfisher did such a good job with the story and the descriptions.  

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Review: Daughter of Egypt by Marie Benedict

Daughter of Egypt by Marie Benedict
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC and ALC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

I'm quickly becoming a big fan of Benedict's books about historical female figures in history. This is told in alternating points of view between Lady Evelyn Herbert and the mysterious Egyptian female pharaoh Hatshepsut. Eve's has grown up surrounded by Egyptian artifacts and stories of her father's adventures on digs in Egypt with his colleague Howard. As Eve is coming of age and entering London society, she is desperate to join them on a dig herself and possibly convince them to search for Hatshepsut. As we join Eve and her family in the desert on their digs and learn about the political climate of Egypt at the time in the 1920s, we also travel back in time to ancient Egypt. Hatshepsut herself tells us of her life, her family, and how she game to power over time.

I really enjoyed this. I have long time been a fan of Egyptian history and was lucky enough to visit the King Tut exhibit when it came to Pittsburgh at the Carnegie Museum many years ago. The culture is fascinating. It was nice to see a female ruler like Hatshepsut make her own rules and lead her country into prosperity and then years later someone comes along and is determined to find out what happened to her and why she was erased from history. Make sure you read the author's note about the research put into the book. We still don't really know what happened to Hatshepsut and why she was struck from Egyptian history, but we do know that both of these women did exist. I always appreciate a well researched book, and I love when an author notes what they changed about historical facts to make their novel work and what is actual fact versus what is complete fiction. I found both women's stories compelling and I want to learn more about both of them.

The audio narration was excellent. I think it was smart to have different narrators for each POV, it was nice to have a different voice for Evelyn and Hatshepsut so you knew which woman and time period you were in while listening. If possible I like to read along with the audio, but I can't always read along which is the beauty of audiobooks. Having two different voices makes the transition in a multi-POV book very easy when you are only listening. Both narrators did a wonderful job bringing the story to life with appropriate emotion and pace for the story.

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Review: Otherworldly by Dwain Worrell

Otherworldly by Dwain Worrell
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I was provided an ALC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own. In fully transparency, I picked this book as my Amazon Prime First Reads book for February so I also own the ebook version.

This started out really interesting but as the book went on I found it got more confusing. The concept is really interesting. Cleo and her crew are sent to check out a planet and determine it's terraforming capability. Cleo is a bit of a loner making her a perfect candidate for a solo mission to the planet's surface. Upon arrival she find the planet to be strange, and when another crewmate starts to experience similar things she begins to wonder if they aren't actually alone in space. The book just gets weirder from there, and I won't spoil it because it is actually pretty interesting.

I enjoyed Cleo's robot companion Shakes who is only speaks in rhyme, it added a bit of humor to some of the more serious situations, or some poetry to some of the more emotional scenes. As Cleo traverses the planet and the different sphere's the action picks up as she attempts to find the other members of her crew. She also has to deal with the dangers the planet throws at her which is where I found the story to get confusing, I may have to go back and read those parts again because I'm still not sure what was going on. There was alot going on at one point and I lost track of what was happening.

Overall I thought the worldbuilding was well done and the plot was unique. The pacing was good and while I found bit of it a little confusing I think that was more of a me issue than an issue with the writing.

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Review: Nobody's Baby by Olivia Waite

Nobody's Baby by Olivia Waite
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided an ALC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

This is the 2nd book in the Dorothy Gentleman novella series and while I feel it would be beneficial for you to start with the first novella, it appears that the mysteries are all independent and can be read as standalones.  

This series takes place aboard the HMS Fairweather, where passengers are crossing space to eventually inhabit and populate a new planet.  Dorothy is a member of what you could equate to the ship's police squad and investigates whatever crimes come up during the ship's passage.  In this installment she has to figure out how a baby, who's existence shouldn't be possible as all the ship's inhabitants have been temporarily made infertile for the journey, came to land on her nephew's doorstep.  

This is a delightful story, solving a mystery in just under 4 hours.  The author does a great job with world-building and character development in the short time we have.  We get to see different sides of Dorothy as she is detective mode, when she is with her nephew Ruthie, and when she is flirting with her crush Violet.  We also get to see more of ship life as we see the different jobs people have and how the baby came to be.  Overall the cozy nature of the mystery stayed interesting while remining low stakes and low action.  This series is fun and has a nice balance of all the things I'm looking for.  I can't wait to see what Dorothy tackles next.

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Review: Midnight on the Celestial by Julia Alexander

Midnight on the Celestial by Julia Alexandra
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC and ALC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

I haven't read a good YA novel in a while, and this was a great reminder of how great YA fantasy can be.  This has a unique magic system, some action, some horror, and a bit of romance to balance things out.  

In this world some people have magic, while others do not.  Those with magic, must pass a trial when they come of age to prove that they can control their power and aren't a danger to society.  Our main character Roe has a unique power to call upon spirits, which her family has long used as a party trick to gain favor with those of high society.  When her trial goes horribly wrong she finds herself serving out her time as a concierge onboard the ship Celestial in order to earn a retrial.  Having no training and having never served anyone in her life, she is terrible at her assigned job, but with the help of her crewmates she quickly learns the ropes.  She also comes to find out that the ship is not just a pleasure cruise for the wealthy and a rehab for the failed magic users.  Every day strange things happen that threated all the lives onboard and Roe is determined to figure out what is at the root of it.  She uncovers more than she anticipates and with the help of her new friends she can fight her way out and save those like her.

Like many YA books you fill find familiar tropes of the chosen one, resistance, betrayal and lies.  Some will find this unoriginal, while others will find that these are the things that they love about YA fantasy novels.  If done well with new and original characters and plotlines these familiar tropes become new and exciting again.  I really enjoyed the worldbuilding, the ship itself was well described and the magic elements created while on the ship were well done.  The character development suffered a bit because of all of the plotlines.  The characters in my opinion could have used a bit more flushing out and the relationships could have used a bit more development, things just came together too neatly for Roe and the crew.  Overall I really enjoyed the plotline and the magic.  This was fun and unique and I look forward to reading more from the author in the future.

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Review: The Red Winter by Cameron Sullivan

The Red Winter by Cameron Sullivan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided an ALC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

This was a very unique historical fantasy about the Beast of Gévaudan with some Jehanne d’Arc in the mix as well.  Set in the late 1700s in France, Sebastian Grave sets out to right the wrongs of his past.  

I found this a bit hard to follow at times as it not only follows Sebastian in the past with Antoinne his friend and lover during the initial Red Winter and during the present with Antoinne's son.  There are also a ton of characters, who are not always referred to by the same name from scene to scene.  For example, Sebastian's "guest" Sarmodel is mainly referred to as Sarmodel, but there are a few scenes especially when the archangel Michael is present when he goes by another name.  This is true for several characters, who have a religious name or alias as they are immortal or serve a religious purpose.  As this book is fairly long this can get confusing especially when you are listening to the audiobook, for books like this I prefer to have a print book handy so I can refer back to names and places to keep me from getting confused but that is a personal preference.  The interactions between the characters was great and I enjoyed Livia's POV in between the main story.  She added some humor to a darker story despite her chapters focusing more on Joan of Arc and more of the religious aspects of the book.

I was surprised to find out this was a debut novel as the writing feels like that of a seasoned fantasy novelist.  The storyline was unique, the pacing was good, and while I would have liked more information on certain things that can be true of any book or author.  I would have liked to better understand how Sebastian and Sarmodel were joined, it may have been mentioned, but I clearly missed it.  The two of them together were a great pairing and we get to see them speak to one another often.  There is plenty of action to balance out the character driven parts of the story, and I enjoyed the mix of magic and fantasy elements that were woven into the religious, political, and social aspects of the book.  If you are looking for a book that blends genres this is a good one.

I like the way the footnotes were read in the audiobook, it felt like the characters were trying to break the 4th wall, which is not often done in audio format.  From other reviews of the book I can see that these were the footnotes/endnotes.  The audiobook was fantastic the way it was narrated.  Both of the narrators were excellent and I highly recommend the audio.  I plan on listening to it again to pick up the bits I missed soon.  

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Review: A Rose of Blood and Binding: The Middlemist Trilogy, Book 3 by Claire Legrand

A Rose of Blood and Binding: The Middlemist Trilogy, Book 3 by Claire Legrand
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I was provided an ALC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

This is the conclusion to the Middlemist Trilogy, and while each book follows a different sister, I don't feel like you can read them as standalones.  The main plotline is interwoven between the three books and to truly understand what is going on you would need to start at the beginning.  Now if you are only interested in Mara and her part of the story you could get away with reading them individually as there is enough info to fill in the blanks about what is happening and the main storyline follows Mara and her journey.

Mara has been portrayed as a brave and strong warrior in the previous two books, but in this installment we find that she has a lot of feelings about being sent away at a young age to train with the Roses.  The Roses are a band of female warriors secluded from their families who train hard and protect the realm from the mysterious mist and the creatures that it hides.  They are ruled by the Warden who is not only their keeper, but also like a mother to them though she is harsh a ruthless at times.  We come to learn that Mara has been made to do things as Rose that she feels quite a lot of guilt about, and she uses pain and sex to ease her feelings of shame and inadequacy.  The also has a lot of thoughts of ending her own life so trigger warnings for suicide as it is mentioned quite a lot.  Mara has a lot of self hatred to work through and while Gareth her love interest tries to help her through it, it overwhelmed the storyline in my opinion.

We do reunite with Mara's family, her sisters, their partners, her parents, and many other key players we have met along the way to thwart the antagonist.  The magic and worldbuilding were as always really interesting.  Legrand always does a great job with those.  Gareth and Mara's characters eventually get together and when they do there are plenty of scenes to solidify their love, Legrand's books are always full of those as well.  I didn't always feel their chemistry, especially with Mara always pushing him away.

Overall this was a good conclusion to the series.

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Review: I Told You So!: Scientists Who Were Ridiculed, Exiled, and Imprisoned for Being Right by Matt Kaplan

I Told You So!: Scientists Who Were Ridiculed, Exiled, and Imprisoned for Being Right by Matt Kaplan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided an ALC and ARC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

If you enjoy non-fiction of the medical or scientific nature give this one a read.  It is easy to follow and doesn't contain a ton of terminology a layperson like myself is unable to follow.  Kaplan, a scientist in his own right, who has turned to journalism writes about those who chose to challenge the status quo in their fields of expertise and where shunned for it only to be proven correct later on.  In some cases those brave souls were give credit for their findings, in others they never saw their ideas and findings do the good in their field.

Kaplans spends a good deal of time focusing on bias that is still present today in archeology, medicine, science, and other industry.  If you don't come from the "right" background and look like everyone else you can't possibly know what you are talking about.  Many women, and people of color (men and women), those of different religions backgrounds, or from different countries, etc, are still not respected despite how much education or expertise they possess in a field and are ridiculed and held back from making breakthroughs because it may bruise the ego of someone higher up the chain or challenge the status quo.  Kaplan points out the science and medicine have been held back for years because scientists and doctors don't like to be told that they are wrong and are slow to adapt to new methods that may produce better results.

I found this fascinating and was shocked to see that the hostility and bias that was present back in the days of Galileo is still rampant today across the world.  The scientific community hasn't learned it's lesson or grown from the many amazing discoveries that have been made from the diversity of minds and diversity of thought that have been brought forth since that time.  While marginally better the fact that any sort of racism, sexism, or -ism in any form is still occurring is unacceptable.  I think of all of the diseases that could have been cured or breakthroughs in medicine if that we could have had if humans weren't so stubborn, selfish and mean to one another.  While humanity has come along way, there is still much work to be done.

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