This book was an easy, fast read, but it also has a lot of good ideas that are able to be applied to your life. II got this from NetGalley to preview.
This book was an easy, fast read, but it also has a lot of good ideas that are able to be applied to your life. I read it in a few sittings (as I wanted to get through it for the review), but ideally, you could take your time and use each suggestion--maybe one a day, or a few a week, whatever might fit your need. The ideas are all good things to help recharge, and there are a variety to appeal to all different types. There is a lot of additional information you can dig through if one idea peeks your interest more than others. A good read.
Merged review:
I got this from NetGalley to preview.
This book was an easy, fast read, but it also has a lot of good ideas that are able to be applied to your life. I read it in a few sittings (as I wanted to get through it for the review), but ideally, you could take your time and use each suggestion--maybe one a day, or a few a week, whatever might fit your need. The ideas are all good things to help recharge, and there are a variety to appeal to all different types. There is a lot of additional information you can dig through if one idea peeks your interest more than others. A good read....more
I love dragon stories, and there was at least one or two authors I recognized, so I figured this would be a good rI got this from NetGalley to review.
I love dragon stories, and there was at least one or two authors I recognized, so I figured this would be a good read. And parts of it were very good. I especially loved the story set in Wyoming, because they got details right (a rarity). Some of the poems were just bad, but thankfully short, and some of the stories are obviously meant to tie in with other works by their authors, but I was unfamiliar with them so the stories didn't have the same punch that they might for familiar readers. Overall, not a bad collection for those who like the magic and mystery of dragons. ...more
I love a good retelling, and this one sounded interesting. It wasn't a bad story, I just found myself having to reI got this from NetGalley to review.
I love a good retelling, and this one sounded interesting. It wasn't a bad story, I just found myself having to really make an effort to read it. I won't be picking up any additional stories in the series, it was just not intriguing enough to continue. Fans of retellings and mermaid stories might appreciate it. I can't even put a finger on why it didn't connect with me, it just fell flat....more
It's been a long while since a story has gripped me and wiggled into my mind and kept me hooked but also guessingI got this from NetGalley to preview.
It's been a long while since a story has gripped me and wiggled into my mind and kept me hooked but also guessing until the last page.
Braffet has crafted a solid world that feels familiar enough but is also not familiar. As the story progresses, there is decent worldbuilding, good character development, and very good plot. It's rare that I can't figure out where the plot is going before it unfolds, and Braffet kept me on the edge of knowing while still managing to surprise me (but the zingers were well supported, a must!). I love that the little bit of romance was not the central plot point, that the characters were well rounded and not just perfect people. They had flaws and emotions and were very real.
I can't give away more without spoilers, and I won't do that in a review, but suffice to say I can't wait for the next installment!...more
As one who has done both keto and intermittent fasting (usually together), I was interested to see if this book haI got this from NetGalley to review.
As one who has done both keto and intermittent fasting (usually together), I was interested to see if this book had an additional info on how I could leverage fasting to help me reach my goals. What I found was a lot of confirmation of things I know (mostly, that calories in vs calories out is NOT the way to lose weight), and that fasting could be used to better achieve my goals. I appreciated the combo of three authors who each brought a unique perspective while working together to make the concepts accessible and understandable to all.
While I was already familiar with fasting, this book is full of great hints and explanations that enhanced my understanding. A great guide for those just starting and a good refresher for those that already use fasting....more
I'm a big fan of Butchers, so any chance to read his work is one I jump at. And his story is delightful and fun.
TI got this from NetGalley to preview.
I'm a big fan of Butchers, so any chance to read his work is one I jump at. And his story is delightful and fun.
The only other author I'd read in the collection was Hearn, and while I've only read one of his, it was from the same world, so I had some background to go on. It was well crafted and a good.
Of the other stories, all but the one by C Harris were good, interesting, and maybe even enough to get me to pick up their stand alone books. The Harris one felt like it was sloppy and poorly written, a surprise given how prolific an author she is.
Overall, a great collection to introduce you to some voices you may not have heard or to give you a little tidbit from your favorites....more
A solid little story about magic and sparkle and kids saving the world, at least for a little while. Overall, theI got this from NetGalley to preview.
A solid little story about magic and sparkle and kids saving the world, at least for a little while. Overall, the story was charming enough, but it lacked the depth that I was hoping for. I read a lot of middle reader and YA, and I have fairly high standards. This was just enough to be a fun read, but not enough to really resonate. If you have a reader who likes fairy stories and young people doing brave things, they should try this. If you are looking for a story that will resonate long past your childhood, this probably isn't the one. ...more
I remember Bell from engaging videos back in my college days, but I hadn't read anything by him. So I asked for thI got this from NetGalley to review.
I remember Bell from engaging videos back in my college days, but I hadn't read anything by him. So I asked for this title to give him a try.
As I read through, there were moments that I felt like I was very connected with the dialogue, that it was resonating. And then there were moments where he completely lost me. By the end, I felt that it was a nice little journey, but I wasn't exactly sure that I'd gone anywhere or why. I felt that Bell puts a lot of thoughts down, but the connecting of those thought just didn't quite happen. There were a few things I highlighted but as a complete work, it didn't resonate. It was worth a read but not one that I'll likely ever return to....more
I asked for this because it sounded interesting, but after having read several other YA fantasy books this year I got this from Net Galley to preview.
I asked for this because it sounded interesting, but after having read several other YA fantasy books this year that fell short, I started reading with no high hopes. Thankfully, Ursu came through and delivers a well-crafted story that hit all the right notes.
We have a strong but not perfect young female lead, we have some mystery, we have a interesting system of magic (if not deeply defined, defined enough to support the story), decent world building, characters that have some depth without being corny or annoying. And we have a story that had enough depth to it that it was engaging, wasn't overly didactic, and didn't feel like it was pandering to the current state of the world.
If you like your fantasy to be closer to home, in a world that is just a little bit different than our own but still feels familiar, and if you like stories about young people who go off to boarding school (esp schools with a questionable history), give this book a try!...more
I'm a sucker for a good magical story, and this one sounded intriguing. And I'd like to give it 3.75 stars, but II got this from NetGalley to preview.
I'm a sucker for a good magical story, and this one sounded intriguing. And I'd like to give it 3.75 stars, but I can't, and I just can't give it 4. It's a good, solid story, but it's full of purple prose. And purple prose is deadly. However, despite the purple (and to be fair, it did taper off a bit as the book progressed), the story hooked me enough that I want to read the next one.
However, the fact that this feels like it's only half and not a complete story is also annoying (and another factor in the can't give it 4 stars). Just know that it's only half a story, and while it is a nice stopping point, it's still a thorn in my side that it's marketed as a first book instead of a first half...there's a big difference.
It is a quick read, has some compelling characters, and the magic system and world building is solid. Good for casual fantasy and magic fans age 14 and up....more
The story of a nun in training who becomes bound to a relic, but that relic isn't just a vague bundle of feelings,I got this from NetGalley to review.
The story of a nun in training who becomes bound to a relic, but that relic isn't just a vague bundle of feelings, it's an entity that can communicate directly with our nun, and it does. The writing was clean, the story was compelling, and the world building was solid. The character development was very good, form Artemisia, to Leander, and the relic. This was one of the few books this year that really captured me and kept me wanting to turn pages. I'm looking forward to the next book....more
A story about selling your soul, making deals, and what it means to be human. Schwab artfully winds her way throuI got this from NetGalley to preview.
A story about selling your soul, making deals, and what it means to be human. Schwab artfully winds her way through 300 years of history as he main character, Addie, makes a deal with the devil to live as long as she wants and be "free" but no one remembers her. And do you really live if you haven't left a mark? The story bounces between past and present (2014-ish) as Addie experiences the world, learns to survive, and finds the one person in the world who remembers her.
The writing is good, the plot solid, and the characters are engaging. Would recommend for most readers. ...more
I'm really torn about this book. I like the world building, I like the main character...but I just can't abide JeI got this from NetGalley to preview.
I'm really torn about this book. I like the world building, I like the main character...but I just can't abide Jelt. Jelt is a manipulative abuser, and the fact that he is so well versed in the abuser ways at such a young age...well, that's just disgusting. The more I read, the harder it was to stomach, and since I've spent a lot of my last few years learning how to identity and help the targets of such abuse, I just couldn't read a story where the target is ready to go to great lengths to save his abuser.
So, A+ for world building--D for having an emotionally abusive character being the victim that is trying to be saved. ...more
A solid read. Had the characters been a little less predictable and a little less annoying (Russ), it may have goI got this from NetGalley to preview.
A solid read. Had the characters been a little less predictable and a little less annoying (Russ), it may have gotten four stars, but I just can't do more than 3.5. The main intrigue was well written, and I liked the emotional depth of the other two main characters. Overall, I'm glad I read it, but won't likely read more in the series....more
This book is just a struggle bus. I was liking it at first, when we have the young "bride" meeting our wizard. ThI got this from NetGalley to preview.
This book is just a struggle bus. I was liking it at first, when we have the young "bride" meeting our wizard. Then we have them going off and her learning all sorts of fun skills. And then boom, we are at his return to his home country, and I'm like "um, woah...". And then we jump forward years, and we introduce a bunch of new characters, but only get a little bit before we are throwing two old characters in, and well, it's hot mess.
And on that you can't pronounce 80% of the characters without having to stop and wrestle with the name EACH TIME (as another reviewer said, " I could have made it through more quickly if it didn't take me 8.5-minutes to pronounce each name."). I can't abide a novel that feels like it has to be SO edgy that the names make no sense.
On top of that, while the world building had some interesting aspects, the character building was seriously lacking. We have a character with tusks...that's all we get. Is she an elephant, a boar, a weird hybrid of some sort, do these tusks go up or down? I made it about 45% into the book and never had any indication. We have races and worlds presented, but other than the snakes, I had no real solid idea on what any given race was like. It was lazy character building.
In the end, there was just too much time, not enough plot (or just spread too thin), and the story was not compelling. Two stars is generous, given the sprawling nonsense that I found here, but I'm in a good mood, so it gets two and not 1.5....more
I requested this based on the author and description. And it sounded like a fantastic little story--until the auI got this from Net Galley to preview.
I requested this based on the author and description. And it sounded like a fantastic little story--until the author went way overboard with language. The writing is full of crass, lewd and plain lazy uses of f*cker. Into chapter three and I just got tired of it. It wasn't helping the story, and nothing else much was helping it along either. If it had been a little better prose with less reliance on shock factor to create tone, I may have continued, but as it is, I just couldn't bring myself to waste the time to keep reading....more
This is a novel that tries to do too much, and in trying, misses the boat on most everything. While I admire JimI got this from Net Galley to preview.
This is a novel that tries to do too much, and in trying, misses the boat on most everything. While I admire Jimenez for attempting an epic space saga about interpersonal connection, I have to cringe at how it played out. As others have noted, the first part feels like a stand-alone story. I didn't deeply connect with any of the players, but at least the young boy (not a child...he's 12 already) was interesting. Then we move into another story that feels like it should stand alone, Nia and her spaceship. Again, I didn't really connect, but at least the boy was interesting.
Then we move to another story that feels like it should stand along, our ugly woman who falls in love with a beautiful woman, but she picks her intellectual future over her romantic. She then spends the rest of the story lamenting this, even when her memory is too shot to remember.
This novel is neither lyrical nor beautifully written. It is a jumble of stories that attempt to connect, loosely do so, but left me feeling like I had no connection with any character, let alone the whole book. There is a character for everyone to try to identify, but they are shallow and shadows and none of them left any impression on me.
Overall, I think Jimenez had a decent story, but he needed to focus on the core instead of trying to tell all the stories that were connected. Had he done that, and given the main players more depth, he might have had a decent book worth 3 or even maybe 3.5 stars. As is, I feel 2 is being overly generous, and he only gets that because the writing is clean and his sense of place was decent. ...more
Overall, a solid story that, with a few tweaks, could have been a really great story. The biggest one is the namesI got this from NetGalley to review.
Overall, a solid story that, with a few tweaks, could have been a really great story. The biggest one is the names--names are vital to a reader being able to connect with a story, and there were just too many names that didn't work. I couldn't figure out what sort of vibe Campbell was going for, but well over half the names (the king, the country, the warring neighbors, etc) didn't roll off the tongue, felt awkward on the page, and created enough of a disconnect with the story that it was well over half the book before I was able to really connect with the overall plot. To the end, my mind was replacing names with station (king or country) and that will always deduct from how impactful a story will be for me. The other big one for me was lack of good foundation for the romance--I didn't mind the romance, expected it, but it was not properly supported in the text.
I did figure out the major twists before they happened, which is always a smidge disappointing, but not a major turn off because I didn't figure them out too far in advance.
Overall, a solid fantasy that was a little more political than I care for, but it had some compelling characters and some refreshing notes of what it means to fight an evil and corrupt dictator. ...more
The first book took me a silly long time to connect with, but once I did, I really liked the world Novik was creaI got this from NetGalley to preview.
The first book took me a silly long time to connect with, but once I did, I really liked the world Novik was creating. The second installment did not disappoint. The characters are interesting, the plot full of wonderful little turns and side intrigues, and the ending...well, the ending left me slack-jawed and stunned...and really glad more is coming. A good continuation of the story...but it's not finished!...more
As a writer, I'm a sucker for stories about stories and the people who write them. This one didn't disappoint. HacI got this from NetGalley to review.
As a writer, I'm a sucker for stories about stories and the people who write them. This one didn't disappoint. Hackwith weaves some interesting ideas about what happens to unwritten stories inbetween myths and legends to created a diverting tale. While there wasn't as much character development as I would have liked, and there was more token elements than I care for, the overall story was good and solid enough that I was able to enjoy it with minimal "writer" distractions (diction, structure, cliches, etc). While not one that will ever be a classic, it was a fun read and I'll likely pick up the next installment. ...more
Sara Diane
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