2 stars
Hiram Walker’s mother is a slave and his father is the plantation owner. Because his mother is a slave, he is also one. When his mother is sold away, Hiram’s memory of her is gone, but he’s given a mysterious power that years later saves his life when he almost drowns. With a renewed sense of life, Hiram plots his escape from the only home he’s ever known. Continue reading “The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates”
4 stars
This is a very good YA book about the obstacles one girl faces as she tries to piece together her life after being trafficked as a sex slave. Continue reading “What Unbreakable Looks Like by Kate McLaughlin”
4 stars
This is a cute, uplifting book about not giving up on love and happiness no matter one’s age. Continue reading “The Old Girl’s Network by Judy Leigh”
4 stars
This is a very good first book in a new fantasy series about magic, loneliness, vengeance and power. Clocking in at 448 pages, it slowly builds tension and intrigue before exploding to a satisfying cliffhanger. Continue reading “The Obsidian Tower (Rooks and Ruin #1) by Melissa Caruso”
3 stars
This is the second book in a fun fantasy series that combines magic, wizards, sword fighting, and evil emperors. Conri and Lia form a fragile alliance to take down Anure, but still have a long way to go in communicating with each other besides falling into bed. They experience a small amount of character development, but almost no other character in the book does. Continue reading “The Fiery Crown (Forgotten Empires #2) by Jeffe Kennedy”
3 stars
This was an ok first book in a promising fantasy book series. The book is marketed as a “Fantasy Romance”, which is a new one for me. Continue reading “The Orchid Throne (Forgotten Empires #1) by Jeffe Kennedy”
4 stars
This was a very good historical fiction fantasy book set in 1914 London about a young girl that has visions of the future but is powerless to do anything to prevent the tragedies she sees. The book immediately captured my attention and I wound up reading it in one sitting. Continue reading “The Fire in the Glass by Jacquelyn Benson”
3 stars
This was a cute, but predictable, fluffy romance that brings together a young socialite and a grief-stricken Earl. It’s the third book in the series, but the first one that I’ve read and can be read as a stand-alone. Continue reading “When You Wish Upon a Rogue (Debutante Diaries #3) by Anna Bennett”
3 stars
This is a good, quiet historical fiction that follows the stories of several people in a small English town just after the Second World War that are drawn together by their love of Jane Austen novels. Continue reading “The Jane Austen Society by Natalie Jenner”
