Nerd Girl Loves Books

4 stars

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a quick, easy dystopian read that I had a hard time putting down. The story begins in a compound called Eden. The community is run by a High Priest and is based on tenants from a man named Jacob. They believe that everyone in Eden is pure and that all others are “soulless” and evil. The world fears the disease called the Red Death. When it strikes, the person dies very young and very quickly and it is believed that the person’s soul is ripped from them. Eden is protected by Guardians, who are super soldiers that protect Eden and patrol the walls surrounding Eden, killing anyone that strays too close. Continue reading “Red Death by Jeff Altabef” →

2 stars.

Meh. This book was mostly a disappointment. It couldn’t figure out what it wanted to be. Is it a spy thriller? A mystery? A romance? It was a mish mash of all of these genres, and none of them were done well. The first hundred pages or so were so slow and boring, I almost gave up then. I pushed through, hoping it would get better. Sadly, it didn’t. Continue reading “The Chemist by Stephanie Meyer” →

4 stars

This is book 2 in the Amos Decker book series. It was a fun, entertaining read with a lot of twists and turns. Several of the “surprises” were apparent before they were revealed, but it was still interesting to read. Continue reading “The Last Mile by David Baldacci” →

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

1.5 stars

This book was very difficult and frustrating to read. In fact, if I hadn’t promised to review it, I would have stopped reading after about 75-100 pages.

I don’t even know where to start. There is zero worldbuilding. I spent a lot of time wondering who is that? Where are they from? Why do they hate that girl? Why are they trying to kill that guy? What does that mean? Why is that a big deal? WHAT.IS.GOING.ON???? Continue reading “The Dowry Blade by Cherry Potts” →

2 stars

Meh.

This book was disappointing, especially since I really liked all of the author’s other books. The story was unappealing (pretty girls that kill people by drowning them to feed the ocean), the characters were one dimensional and the “love” story was silly. I wanted to like this book. I really, really did. But I just couldn’t.

5 stars

Wow. Just. Wow.

I don’t give many 5 star ratings, but this book deserves it. Before we get any further, however, let me start by saying that this book is not for everyone. There are some very uncomfortable, controversial and disturbing things in this book. Physical and mental abuse. Drug use. Parental neglect. A couple graphic sex scenes. And most importantly, the love that develops between a 13/14 year old girl (Wavy) and 24/25 year old man (Kellen). Continue reading “All the Ugly and Wonderful Things by Bryn Greenwood” →

4 stars

This is the first book in the series. As with most first books in a fantasy series, there is a lot of worldbuilding. It is tedious at times, and makes the book read slow in the beginning, but once it’s done, the action takes off. Inda is the second son of a prince in a kingdom. Traditionally, the first son is the heir and rules the land and the second son is in command of the defense of the land. The heirs and second sons are trained at a brutal academy in the capital city where they are taught to command, fight and follow orders without question.

Continue reading “Inda (Inda #1) by Sherwood Smith” →

4 stars

This is the 3rd book in this series. Once again, the action takes up right where the last book ends. Inda escapes captivity with the Venn and starts to formulate a plan to fight them. When he learns that the Venn’s invasion of his homeland is imminent, Inda leaves Fox in charge of his pirate fleet, with orders to strike around the coast to give the illusion that Inda is everywhere. Inda then finally returns home, after 9 long years away. Continue reading “King’s Shield (Inda #3) by Sherwood Smith” →

3.5 stars

Surprisingly, this is my first Michael Connelly novel. I knew his books were well written, I had just not gotten around to reading any of them. His books were recommended to me by a friend, and I finally relented. This is the first book in the Harry Bosch book series. Harry is a Vietnam war veteran that works as a homicide detective in LA. A year before the book begins, he shot and killed a serial murder suspect. Continue reading “The Black Echo by Michael Connelly” →