3.5 stars rounded up to 4
I really enjoyed this YA Fantasy book about a low-born girl with a gift for battle strategy that propels herself and her twin brother into a better life and better roles in the kingdom. Continue reading “Marilia, the Warlord by Morgan Cole”
2 stars
This is a well-researched historical fiction book about the supposed affair between the mistress of a home and Branwell Bronte, the brother of the daughters’ governess Anne Bronte, and the other famous Bronte sisters. Continue reading “Bronte’s Mistress by Finola Austin”
4.5 stars
This was the July book for my book club. I’ve never read this author before, but I really enjoyed his writing and will definitely read more of his books. This book is written about one fateful summer in the life of 13 year old Frank Drum who lived in New Bremen, MN in 1961. The book is told from his perspective 40 years after the events. Continue reading “Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger”
4 stars (release date August 4, 2020)
This is a quick and enjoyable mystery/thriller that has a story within a story. Rachel has a true crime podcast (think “Serial”) that grew in popularity after her first season when she investigated a murder trial and found evidence that set the defendant free. Now in her third season, she is following a rape trial in real-time in the small town of Neapolis. The town is being torn apart by the rape trial of a young teenage girl by a popular teenage boy training for the Olympics. Continue reading “The Night Swim by Megan Goldin”
3 stars
This was an interesting nonfiction book about life in the Court of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. I learned quite a bit about her life, her behavior and the pressures she was under as a young Queen. Before reading this book, I’ll admit that I had a pretty harsh opinion of Marie Antoinette. While I still think she was a terrible queen, I do have a bit more empathy for what she went through in her short life. Continue reading “Marie Antoinette’s World: Intrigue, Infidelity, and Adultery in Versailles by Will Bashor”
4 stars
This is a fantastic second book in the Firemane Saga. There is everything you want and need in an epic fantasy book – non-stop action, betrayals, twists and turns, new alliances, intense fighting, horrific devastation, high-sea drama, and much, much more. Continue reading “Queen of Storms (The Firemane Saga #2) by Raymond E. Feist”
4 stars
I am a huge fan of Raymond Feist and he does not disappoint in this new epic fantasy about the journey of two young orphans, one raised by a group of assassins and spies, and another by a master swordsmith, to learn their fate and the fate of the world on which they live. Continue reading “The King of Ashes (The Firemane Saga #1) by Raymond E. Feist”
4 stars
I really enjoyed this epistolary novel (Yeah, I had to look that one up too. The definition is “a novel told through the medium of letters written by one or more of the characters.” In this case, the story is told through a series of e-mails, blog posts, online therapy submissions, text messages, legal correspondence, home-rental bookings, and other snippets of our virtual lives. Continue reading “When You Read This by Mary Adkins”
3 stars
This is a fun YA fantasy book that is marketed as being “inspired” by the movie The Lost Boys. It’s a quick and easy read, however the book follows much too closely the the movie and doesn’t contain many original concepts. (It is also mentioned that the book is inspired by the movie The Craft, but I don’t really see it). Continue reading “Mayhem by Estelle Laure – Blog Tour”
