Review: Star Father by Charlie N. Holmberg

Star Father by Charlie N. Holmberg
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC of this book via Netgalley, however it took me so long to read it I've since purchased both the ebook and audiobook versions of the book.  As always all opinions are my own.

I read Star Mother ages ago, and it had a unique concept.  Both books read as standalones, but this book give Saiyon's story closure.  I do recommend reading Star Mother first to get a better handle on the world and the lore.

This takes place after the events of Star Mother and follows Aija, a farmer and artist in the wake of the sun disappearing from the sky.  The world enters into darkness, and her family does their best to survive in the endless night they've found themselves in.  A few days after the sun's disappearance, Aija finds a sick man by the river on her way to gather water.  As she nurses him back to health she realizes he's not a normal man, but in fact he is the Sun God and he has lost his divinity.  An attraction quickly develops between Aija and Saiyon, but they know their time together is fleeting.  He must return to the his war with the Moon Goddess that has been raging for millennia and once his powers return he can't be with Aija without hurting her.  

Aija is determined to be with her true love and she is willing to sacrifice anything to be with him.  She begins a quest for immortality and makes many sacrifices and suffers greatly on her way.  She isn't willing to give up until she gets her man.  Aija comes off as a bit obsessed with Saiyon and she is willing to hurt everyone else in her life to be with him.  I kind of had a problem with the fact that she abandoned her family and everyone else that took care of her while she was sick and injured for a man.  I'm all for love and making sacrifices to be with the one you love, but she came off a bit over the top stubborn and obsessive.  I'm all for a strong, determined, female main character but Aija came off a bit lovesick and boy crazy.

The world building was good and unique and I liked the concept of the gods and godlings.  Overall this wasn't to my taste but think others who enjoy a more romance heavy plot will enjoy this.

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Review: Voices Carry: A Story of Teaching, Transitions, & Truths by Raven Oak

Voices Carry: A Story of Teaching, Transitions, & Truths by Raven Oak
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC of this book via Netgalley, and I won a copy via a Goodreads giveaway, as always my opinions are my own.

I always find hard to to rate and review a biography or memoir because it feels weird to rate review someone's life experience.  I want to be careful to not give opinions on the person's life and choices, but more about the writing style, personal enjoyment, and if I learned anything from the book and if I got to know the person the book is about.  I will attempt to do that here.

I previously read 2 of Oak's short story collections and really enjoyed them.  When I saw that they were coming out with a memoir I was intrigued, as most authors use their life experiences in their writing.  This doesn't hold back and really lets you into Oak's life.  There are some tough parts to get through but the author puts appropriate trigger warnings in the book so as not to harm the reader, should you need to skip a section to protect yourself due to your own experienced trauma.  The author has been through some things, between having a rough (understatement) childhood, quite a few medical issues, growing up during a time and place where anything but heterosexual identity was acceptable, and so many more things (go read the book).  I feel like I really got to know the author.

I actually really enjoyed reading this.  Oak pours their heart into this book when they talk about their time as a teacher and the trauma they experienced throughout their life.  Despite all of their hardships, Oak has still become a successful writer and a survivor.  I completely related to the struggles they experienced with getting a diagnoses when it comes to a medical condition no one can figure out and being passed from doctor to doctor until you find a competent one who cares and actually knows what they are doing.  I think there is something everyone can relate to in this book.  

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Review: We Love the Nightlife by Rachel Koller Croft

We Love the Nightlife by Rachel Koller Croft
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

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

This was an interesting trip through the nightlife of the late 70's and early 80's disco scene in London.  Amber is an American who loves to dance and visit the many disco clubs the city has to offer.  Her husband prefers a quiet night at home.  Enter Nicola, another fun disco loving party girl who befriends Amber with her glitz and glamour.  Unbeknownst to Amber, Nicola is a vampire and she is looking for someone to be her companion as the years go by.

Fast forward 50 years and Amber has had enough of Nicola and her manipulative ways.  She forms a plan to get away from her maker, but things go off the rails when Nicola decides they should open their own disco club reminiscent of the clubs they used to visit when they first met.  Can they reignite the friendship they once had or will everything go up in flames?

This is a book you are either really love or be indifferent to.  I fall in the latter, I also don't typically care for character driven novels.  I found the pacing a bit slow for my taste.  The friendship between Nicola and Amber was toxic from the start, but you still want to know what is going to happen between them  Nicola's anti-hero persona was kind of compelling despite her being kind of evil and manipulative in the end.  Amber was kind of a pushover which is why she was kind of the perfect companion for so long, but I did like the twist in the end where she finally finds a backbone.

Overall, this wasn't bad, it wasn't necessarily to my taste but I think people that like a more contemporary spin to their fantasy will really enjoy it.  I prefer more fantasy in my vampire books.

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Review: Dead & Lovely by J.M. Miller

Dead & Lovely by J.M. Miller
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided an  ARC of this book via the author and Netgalley.  

This was a unique YA Fantasy following Oleander, Olean for short, a talented Lovely who can connect to the Realm via the use of special stones.  The Realm is kind of an alternate dimension and those who can enter it via the use of the powerful stones are called Lovely.  Each Lovely can use one or multiple stones and each stone has a different use and they are all regulated by the Crown.  Olean can connect with multiple stones, making her a valuable asset to the kingdom.  She has recently relocated from the small village she was raised in to the castle to use her abilities to help the royal family help uncover some strange events that have recently occurred.  She makes a connection, another unique character, as he is deaf and the Lovely can't use the stones on him.  He is a trusted member of the royal family and Olean quickly comes to trust him as well.  Olean and Croft's connection isn't just romantic, it is also driven by the Realm and the stones.  Olean hesitates to come clean about their connection for fear that it may hurt Croft and their blossoming romance.  Through her connection with Croft and her ability to use all of hte stones, Olean becomes a powerful member of Lovely society and a key player into what becomes a murder investigation.  She quickly uncovers foul play and is able to uncover some major secrets within the castle and the Lovely society.

I really enjoyed this novel.  It has a nice mystery element mixed in with a unique magic element that I haven't seen before. It made for a really entertaining plot. I enjoyed Olean as a main character and thought she and Croft had good chemistry.  They have a bit of a slow burn but they figure things out despite starting out with a communication barrier and some secret keeping.  I thought the world building and pacing was great as well.  

The author also provided me an audible code on release day.  I listened to the audiobook after finished up the ebook, and the audible narration was excellent.   The narrator did a wonderful job voicing the different characters.  I was curious how she was going to voice the scenes between Olean and Croft, since they have an interesting way of communicating.  I thought the narrator did a great job with the communication and display of emotion in the audiobook.

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Review: A Bit Much: Poems by Lyndsay Rush

A Bit Much: Poems by Lyndsay Rush
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

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

The author narrates the audiobook, which doesn't always work for novels, but is so perfect when it comes to poetry.  I don't think anyone can deliver poetry quite the same way as the poet, so I always appreciate a self narrated poetry collection.

I don't think I've ever connected to a poetry collection the way I did to this one.  It is straight forward, witty, and relatable.  It deals with body image, weight, aging, relationships, and so many other things you have to deal with as a woman.  These poems really spoke to me and I'm grateful to have been able to both listen and read along with them.  I really enjoyed the style of poems, they aren't super complex or long.  The author gets to the point and they all have clever titles.  That won't be everyone's preference when it comes to poetry.  For me these were thought provoking without having to think about the meaning of the poem because it was right there on the page.

I thoroughly enjoyed this humorous and clever collection of poems and look forward to reading more from the author in the future.  This is a collection I'll be buying because it made me feel seen and and that being "a bit much" might just be the right amount.

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Review: Medusa by Nataly Gruender

Medusa by Nataly Gruender
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided and Audio ARC via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

The narrator did a great job keeping the pace of the book moving as sometimes Greek retellings can get a little slow at times.  I thought she did a wonderful job with Medusa's story.

Medusa's story is one that I've heard several times before, but it usually is told from Perseus' point of view.  The tales almost always include some sort of punishment for Medusa's transgression with Poseidon or her having always been a monster.  Check out trigger warnings if you aren't aware of the full extent of why Athena cursed Medusa.  This takes us back to before the snake headed gorgon we all know as Medusa, when she was human and takes us through her lifetime when she meets her end at the hands of Perseus.  I enjoyed getting to know her as a human and as a "monster" and on the many places she visits and those she interacts with.

This was a wonderful version of Medusa's story.  I've read several different versions, but as I mentioned they are typically told from Perseus' point of view with Medusa always being the villain.  There is so much more to her story than turning people to stone.  This is a much more intimate look into Medusa's life and those who had influence in her life both before and after her curse.   We get to see her humanity and emotions as she struggles with trauma, grief, betrayal, rage, and many other emotions.   Medusa was doomed from the start, but in this version we learn that she was so much more than the myth and the monster everyone thought she was.  I really enjoyed this and highly recommend it if you have enjoyed the other feminist retellings that are out there.

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Review: Celestial Monsters by Aiden Thomas

Celestial Monsters by Aiden Thomas
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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

André Santana narrates the audiobook and he is a wonderful narrator. He narrates the duology and does such a wonderful job with the books! He brings the characters to life with different voices and accents where appropriate and makes this already great series even better!

This picks up right where The Sunbearer Trials leaves off, so it doesn't read as a standalone. It has been about 2 years since I read The Sunbearer Trials, but I was quickly able to reengage in the storyline and remember what was going on after the Trials ended in such unexpected chaos. This follows our Sunbearer Teo as he sets out to bring back the sun and set the world back to rights in the aftermath of the trials. He isn't alone as Niya and Aurelio are with him bestowed with gifts from the gods/goddesses to help them on their quest to rescue the other semideoses and defeat the evil that was unleased. We also get chapters from Xio's perspective as he (later in the book Xio transitions to they pronouns) spends time with the Obsidians and learns about his/their heritage and powers. Xio has to face the decision they made in book 1 and decide which side they want to take and what kind of person they really want to be and who their friends and family really are.

As with the first book this was action packed, has some good humor, has great world building, and deals with social issues under the guise of myth and fantasy. I loved the mythology and lore elements of the series. This book doesn't have as much character as the first book did, as the development is mainly focused on Xio's character in this installment. Xio deals with alot of feelings in this book, and we get to see them go through quite the journey. Teo, Niya, and Aurelio have more of a physical journey, but theirs is not with out emotion either. I don't want to spoil anything but this was wonderful.

I loved this series so much! It deals with so many great topics while being entertaining with such a rich and vivid setting. Thank you to the author, Netgalley, and Macmillan Audio/Macmillan Young Listeners for allowing me to take part in this wonderful journey with these amazing characters!

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