Review: Exiles by Ashley Saunders & Leslie Saunders

Exiles by Ashley Saunders & Leslie Saunders
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I picked this up when it was a monthly selection for Amazon First Reads.  I almost always grab the sci-fi/dystopian selection if there is one.  This is a YA dystopian set in Los Angeles in 2052 after a massive earthquake devestated much of the city.  The population is divided into Fortunate and Unfortunates, which by the name you can deduce are those who have means and those who are barely surviving.

Twins Jade and Crys were plucked from their Unfortunate lives at 12 by billionaire genius Damon Yates who wanted to give kids a better chance at life.   He created an academy to foster Unfortunate children and turn them into Fortunate members of society through his elite academy by becoming their guardian and creating a safe space for them to learn and grow.  Fast forward a few years, when the twins are 18, Jade has left the safety of the academy and become a sort of leader of the Exiles, while Crys is the beloved adopted daughter of Yates.  When Crys best friend turns up dead, she immediately points a finger at her sister, but she uncovers something much more sinister that pionts to her beloved father figure.  To find the truth, Crys has to team up with the Exiles that she loathes and rethink everything she knows.  Jade has always suspected something was wrong at the academy, its why she left, she's just hoping it isn't too late to save her friends and get her sister back.

I enjoyed this.  It was a bit slow in the beginning as the story sets up, but the action really picks up toward the end.  There is a good discussion about class dynamics when it comes to wealth vs poverty and an even better discussion about technology and how it can be used for good and then quickly be weaponized.  I thought the science was well presented and you can tell the authors did their homework on the technology.  I would have liked to see a bit more character development.  There are alot of characters to keep track of, and I often find when the cast is so large character development tends to suffer especially in a shorter book such as this one.  The writing style was a bit choppy.  I often felt like I missed something, but it wasn't there which can lead to the reader being confused about what is going on which impacts the pacing when you have to go back and reread pages to figure out if you skipped something.  

Overall I enjoyed this, and I've already started on book two.  I'm looking forward to finding out where the story goes and how everything plays out.

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Review: The Genius of Women: From Overlooked to Changing the World by Janice Kaplan

The Genius of Women: From Overlooked to Changing the World by Janice Kaplan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC of this book via Netgalley, however it has been on my shelf for so long I opted to listen to the audiobook.  Thank you to Dutton for providing me with an ARC, I'm sorry it took me so long read it.

The audiobook is narrated by the author and she does a wonderful job.  This was well written and well researched.  Given that Kaplan has experience as a reporter, producer, journalist, and writer it is no wonder that this was so well crafted and performed.  While I don't agree with all of the points that she  argues as to how we can make more women into geniuses, there is evidence to support that the women she interviewed became geniuses by doing those things she advocates for.  They in fact followed those steps to get where they are today, and in talking with my own mentors and industry leaders they followed similar steps.  It is unfortunate, but we shouldn't have to just work harder and put our heads down to get identified as smart and capable and advocate for change once we "make it".  We don't ask our male counterparts to do anything different.  I do agree that women who are supported and encouraged have better success in STEM fields or whatever they are interested in.  There is vast evidence to show that stereotypes and bigotry are learned behaviors, and this book shows several examples of places where women were held back and where they were allowed to flourish.  I don't think we need to tell kids of any gender that they can't be good at any subject.  They should all be encouraged to pursue whatever subjects they are interested and encouraged to pursue their passions and talents.

I enjoyed learning about the women who have contributed to their fields of expertise, but I hadn't heard of many of them.  That was kind of the point of the book though. Kaplan points out that throughout history, even through more recent times, women's accomplishments are overshadowed by their male counterparts and they are often unknown.  Men take credit for their work or leave their names off of documents that they contributed to or wrote completely.  Without the celebrity, the women weren't considered geniuses because no one knew who they were.

Overall, I enjoyed this book.  I learned a lot.  Much of what the author pointed out in this book really resonated with me.  I've experienced many of the scenarios in my life.  I think this is a great addition to your non-fiction reads when it comes to learning about women in history, bias, and some awesome women that are doing great things to break down barriers now.  

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Review: Silver Under Nightfall by Rin Chupeco

Silver Under Nightfall by Rin Chupeco
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC of this book via Netgalley, however I am really behind on reviews and opted to borrow the audiobook from the library instead.  I really enjoyed the narrator for this, he did a good job bringing Remy and the rest of the cast to life.  As always all opinions are my own.  This book was released back in September 2022 and is available in multiple formats via multiple retailers.

I really enjoyed this adult paranormal romance.  It is a tad on the long side, but the pace and action are there the entire time to keep you engaged the entire time.  I've read several of the author's YA books and this is definitely m ore on the adult side when it comes to the intimate scenes and the violence and horror aspects.  This book has a bit of everything going on there is court intrigue, a little bit of a mystery aspect, some science, and of course vampires and vampire hunters.  It thing Chupeco did a good job telling the tale and brining it all together in the end.  I'm very much looking forward to the next book in the series.

This follows Remy, son of a duke and vampire hunter.  Due to the suspicious circumstances of his birth and his father's status amongst the Reapers (the vampire hunters) Remy is an outcast among the Reapers.   He is sent to do the jobs no one wants to do, and he is good at it.  He longs for his father's approval, so when the opportunity comes along to serve the Queen and make an alliance with a vampire lord and lady who are brokering peace between humans and vampires Remy is tasked to accompany them.  The land is plagued with a new strain of vampire that is impossible to kill and the unlikely trio is determined to uncover the source of this new strain and stop the spread.  As Remy gets to know his companions Zidan and Xiaodan, they all begin to develop feelings for each other which only complicates their mission as they uncover the truth behind the plague and who is pulling the strings.

I thought this had good world building and good character development.  Remy started out a bit unsure of himself.  As the story progresses he becomes a bit more comfortable with himself and his desires, especially as he learns of all of the deceit and betrayal that has surrounded his life.  I thought the paranormal/fantasy elements were well done.  I haven't read a good vampire book in a long time and I really enjoyed this one.  I liked the concept of the covens/courts and look forward to seeing how that plays out as the rest of the story unfolds.  I also appreciated the scientific aspect of the book.  I always like when there is a flushed out reason, realistic or not, for what is happening and the author gives us that with respect to the Rot.

While I enjoyed the relationship that developed between Remy, Zidan, and Xiaodan, I could have done without the sex scenes between them.  I don't feel that they really added to the plot other than to add a level of smut to the book and make it more adult.  They aren't super graphic so the level of spice is pretty low, so I feel like those scenes could have almost been closed door or fade to black. The relationship that develops between the three of them didn't really need the lust filled intimate scenes.

Overall, I really enjoyed this and I'm very much looking forward to Court of Wanderers.  I'm only disappointed that it took me so long to read this.

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Review: Clytemnestra by Costanza Casati

Clytemnestra by Costanza Casati
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I received a digital ARC of this book via Netgalley, and a print ARC via Bookish First.  Thank you to the publisher Sourcebooks for allowing me to read this wonderful retelling ahead of publication.  The original release date was set for today March 7, 2023, but I believe the US release has been moved to May 2.  As always all opinions expressed are my own.

As the title indicates this follows Clytemnestra, princess of Sparta and eventual queen of Mycenae.  She was raised to be a warrior and valuable member of her father's council.  In a world where women were not respected as leaders, Clytemnestra demanded the respect of the men around  and bides her time to enact vengeance on those who have wronged her.  This is filled with alot of content warnings and potentially triggering material, but if you are a fan of Green mythology you are likely familiar with the horrible things that were done in the original myths.  This particular story is filled with brutality, vengeance, and violence.  Some of the acts are done in the name of the gods while others are done purely for the sake of taking power and showing dominance.  

As with each of these new retellings we get a different take on what these characters were like and what they experienced.   This follows Clytemnestra from childhood through adulthood and we get to see how the events of her life shape her.  This focuses on the many tragedies  and betrayals she must endure, and the simmering hatred that she harbors until she is able to enact her plans for revenge for those acts of betrayal.  We see how this hardens her into a somewhat unlikable queen, but as she questions her counselors, had she been a mad she would have been worshipped as a hero and no one would have questioned her actions.  

This is a little slow paced and there are alot of characters to keep track of, that being said I found this captivating and hard to put down.  I appreciated that there was a glossary of characters at the beginning of the book and a glossary of Greek terms at the end of the book for easy reference.  This was really helpful and I used both often when I couldn't remember who a particular person was or if I couldn't figure out a particular term from context clues.  The author did a really good job spelling out the Greek terminology but if you forget what a term means, the glossary is nice to have.

I thought the author did a great job with the world building.  It isn't often that you are transported through the seasons in a book, but here we get descriptions of cold and mud which I really felt enhanced the storytelling.  It made the story come alive for me and made the characters and the setting feel real.  You could also feel Clytemnestra's hatred and anger throughout the book.  She has to endure so much, yet because of her gender and station she has to wait until the time is right to enact the justice she has been seeking for so many years.  I also thought the author did a great job making you really hate the villains of the book, and there are several of them.   

Overall, I really enjoyed this and look forward to reading more from the author in the future.

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Review: The Revenge by Tijan

The Revenge by Tijan
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC via Netgalley, however I opted to listen to the final version of the audiobook.  As always all opinions are my own.

This book was published in September 2022 and is available in multiple formats via multiple retailers.  This is the third and final book in The Insiders series.  Unfortunately this didn't work for me.  The Insiders was intense and suspenseful, The Damaged had some suspense towards the end, so I was hoping that this would end with a bang.  This was lacking in the suspense and intensity I was looking for. This book was kind of all over the place, there is dialogue that is hard to follow and doesn't really make sense or add to the plot.  Some of the actions of the characters after big traumatic events don't make sense, and in general I'm not a fan of how the author has the characters deal with emotions, grief, and trauma in this series.  Despite all of the maneuvering and dangerous players, this was kind of slow paced and the big show down between Kash and Calhoun was not very action packed.

This book cannot be read as a standalone.  This picks up where book 2 leaves off with Bailey completely shut down after events in book 2.  She slowly comes out of her stupor and begins to reintegrate into her family and life.  While she is grieving and basically suffering from PTSD, Kash is making moves against his grandfather.  There are alot of other players involved to throw Kash and Bailey's plans off track, but it really just made the storyline messy in my opinion.  I don't want to spoil anything, but I was hoping for more action and suspense.  I was kind of bored despite the author throwing in some unexpected twists.

Overall, I'm glad to have finished the series..

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Review: More Than I Could by Adriana Locke

More Than I Could by Adriana Locke
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC of this book via the author, all opinions are my own.

I loved this grumpy, sunshine romance!  Chase and Megan didn't hit it off initially, but they were instantly attracted to each other.  This does have kind of an insta-love feel to it, which I will admit is not my favorite but there is more than enough substance to the book to make up for it.   

This follows Megan, who is filling in as a nanny as she is trying to figure out what to do with her life in the wake of being let go from her job in California.  Megan is used to travelling being creative but she has never really found somewhere that feels like home.  Chase is a grumpy single dad with a rebellious teenager on his hands.  When Megan shows up to help him out for the next month while his mom is out of town, he knows he's in for trouble.  Megan and Chase had good chemistry and there are some steamy scenes between them.  Megan is also great with Kennedy as she is able to offer the teen a woman's perspective and she grew up with a single parent.  She is also able to give her advice Chase isn't and see her as a 14 year old person versus the parent who is trying to keep it all together.  I loved the scenes between Kennedy and Megan, they were so relevant to raising a teenager.  

This was a really fun read.  I believe this is a standalone, but Adriana left it open to have more books about the Marshall siblings.  I really loved Chase's family and it has a similar feel to her other family series.  If you like those you will probably like this one as well.  Adriana said that she wrote this to be a break from the real world for a little while and it accomplished just that, it has good banter between characters and let me escape reality for a few hours.  

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Review: Spells for Forgetting by Adrienne Young

Spells for Forgetting by Adrienne Young
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC of this book via Netgalley, however I opted to listen to the final production version of the audiobook.  I've also purchased a copy of the e-book since publication.  As always all opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this.  This is mainly told from the perspectives of the two main characters Emery and August, but there are additional perspectives of a few of the other characters that play a large part in the plot.  The audiobook has a full cast narration, which I really enjoyed.  It was nice having a unique voice for each of the player.

This follows Emery and really the town of Saiorse in the wake of a devastating fire and murder that occurred 14 years ago.  The orchard that the town is famous for has recovered, but the people have never forgotten what happened that night.  Emery's boyfriend at the time, August was accused of murdering her best friend but they were never able to prove it.  August left the island town after being branded a murderer, but he has returned to bury is mother's ashes.  August doesn't want any trouble, but his appearance in town uncovers secrets, lies, and betrayals that hold the truth about what really happened that night.

I really enjoyed the mix of magic and mystery held within the pages of this book.  The magical aspect played well into the character development and the plotline.  It is atmospheric and you really feel the island almost come to life with the little things that occur throughout the book and the rituals that the people of the island practice.  I really enjoyed trying to piece together what happened to Lily and who murdered her.  I'll admit I had it figured out before the reveal but I think the author did a good job tangling up all of the storylines to keep you turned around until it was time for the truth to come out.  I love a mystery book that gives you just enough information to ask "Was it this person", "What about this scenario" and that keeps you guessing.  This delivered.  

If you are looking for an entertaining mystery that has a bit of magic, give this a listen.  I hardly put it down once I started.

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