A.J. Maguire

Tag: Book Review

  • Book Review – The Serpent and the Wings of Night by Caressa Broadbent

    A while back I picked up Six Scorched Roses by this same author and I enjoyed it immensely. It embraced some of the cliches of vampire romance novels but it did this in such a way that I was comfortable instead of rolling my eyes. I enjoyed this so much that I went ahead and snagged the novel The Serpent and the Wings of Night.

    I’m not gonna lie.

    I struggled through the first chapters of this book.

    The main character made me twitch every time they mentioned how dangerous the world was that they were living in, and how fragile they were compared to the vampires she lived amongst. Seriously. It was at least once a page and I was starting to feel like the author was beating me over the head with it and I nearly put the book down. But because I loved Six Scorched Roses, I continued.

    And I am glad that I did, because somewhere in the middle of it I started to realize that the mantra of weakness and danger was supposed to be there. It was drilled into the main character’s head by her father, and was a means of controlling her, and it was very satisfying to see when our little serpent began to see that control for what it was.

    So, my proverbial hat’s off to Ms. Broadbent. That was masterfully played.

    The world created was interesting, even if I found her pantheon a little confusing at times, and the action was brutally engaging. The vampires weren’t the undead that I grew up with, so I didn’t have my normal repulsion of them — aka, they’re alive, it’s just a weird kind of undying. I loved rooting for the characters and the romance built very nicely. I will note for my friends who read these reviews that it is an adult novel with adult scenes.

    At any rate, it’s a good book with an interesting slant on vampires and a lot of heart-pounding action.

    PURCHASE LINK for Amazon!

  • Book Review – Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

    Given how much I have enjoyed Sarah J Maas and her worlds, it should come as no surprise that this Romantasy has been on my radar for a while. I was lucky enough to be given a gift card to Barnes and Noble for Christmas and immediately set about snagging this book.

    MILD SPOILER ALERT — Only read on if you don’t mind a smidgen of talk about THINGS.

    First thing to note — I loved Xaden. Like, from moment one of him entering the stage, I quite enjoyed him. All the stuff I heard about this novel, I thought I would have moments where I didn’t like him but truth is… everything he did made sense. And everything about the world this girl was raised in had all my red flag alarms going off.

    Which means that the big reveal at the end didn’t really hit me the way it might have hit others.

    You mean the militaristic society banning certain books and allowing kids to plunge to death on Conscription Day just to see if they’ll have the wits to get across a parapet is hiding something evil? Who would guess?

    So the entire book I’m mostly watching Violet to see when she wises up, and munching popcorn while the emotions fester between her and Xaden. But I really dug into the narrative the moment we meet the dragons, because I love stories where dragons bond/speak/get on the level with humans. Tairn’s exasperation was excellent.

    I will say that Andarna probably shouldn’t have been so puppyish if they were trying to keep her age on the down-low from authorities. Any adult watching that scenario would be stroking their chin about the true nature of feathertails, and that’s based on maybe three interactions they get to see from afar.

    Next up…

    Having been through Basic Training, I thoroughly enjoyed the militaristic aspects of Violet’s training. Outside of the very real threat to the lives of these kids, I was right at home with the physical demands they placed on her and the struggle she had to overcome them.

    The romance built nicely, but as always, I warn Parents that there are explicit scenes in this book. Which, to be fair, I keep meaning to have a longer conversation about explicit scenes in books because they are so popular. Before I do, let me clarify by saying ‘kids’ in this book are consenting age, I’m just showing how old I am in calling them kids.

    My very conservative upbringing blushes at a lot of these scenes. If I feel they are gratuitous, I pass them over. My eyes literally skim the page hunting for the conversation that comes after because, quite frankly, while intimacy is important to keeping a romance healthy, its the vulnerable moments after that truly define that relationship.

    Because I am constantly trying to improve my craft, I did read a book recently that describes what makes a good intimate scene, and when I remember the title and who wrote it, I’ll be sure to update this post, but for now I’ll make note of what truly stuck out to me. What was explained was that you had to be able to say why only these two people could be having this scene at this time, what it reveals about them as individuals as well as them as a couple. And this makes so much sense to me that I have to wonder why I didn’t notice it before.

    Suffice, in this book, the intimate scenes made sense. I mean, some of it could have been put behind a closed door, but you don’t pick up a romantasy without certain expectations so… fans might have murdered Yarros if she closed that door too soon.

    The story was fun and I get the hype that surrounded it. The characters have stuck with me, even if some aspects of the world haven’t, and I’m excited to see what happens next.

    Fourth Wing – Rebecca Yarros

  • Book Review – A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J Maas

    This is a lovely, quiet book. It shows the aftermath of a massive battle and how the characters are coping (or attempting to cope) with all that they saw and were forced to do. In a way, I wish I had read it first out of the pile of books I got for Christmas because it would have fit the setting of Winter Solstice.

    Maas is very good at confronting trauma in her work, which I’ve mentioned before. A Court of Frost and Starlight is no exception here. I was able to read it in a day and carried a sense of healing and understanding away from the novel. The characters are all quite real, their reactions understandable, and it was heartening to see them taking steps toward the future.

    As an author myself, I take certain things away from every book I read. Cassandra Clare and Naomi Novik always teach me the beauty of language, for instance. Sarah J Maas, and this book in particular, put on display the need to slow down and let the characters just be. Let them be “human” on the page. (I put that in quotation marks because none of her characters are human in this book, but their reactions and emotions most certainly are.)

    We tend to get all huffy-puffy about the need for plot. For entertainment. For something to be happening. But we can get all those things from a movie or a game. Reading is the only place where we can connect to characters on a human level. Where we can take a breath and go — Yes. I understand that completely.

    So, thank you, Sarah J Maas for this book. You’ve taught me a lot.

    For the disclaimers, these books are adult in nature. There are explicit scenes, so be mindful for younger readers.

    PURCHASE LINKS – Amazon – Barnes and Noble

  • Book Review – House of Sky and Breath by Sarah J Maas

    Alright, so we all know I loved the first book in the Crescent City series. I got it for Christmas and lived in that book for three days, so it should come as no surprise that I picked up the second book in the series, House of Sky and Breath.

    Now, I don’t give spoilers in my reviews because I don’t like being given spoilers myself, so I’m going to hedge the line a little here and say it does end on a cliffhanger. I don’t mind cliffhangers occasionally, I really don’t, but given the length of these two books I wouldn’t have made that choice. There comes a point when you’ve crossed a threshold of several thousands of words and people deserve a HFN ending so they can sleep better at night. And I am still quite nervous about how this cliffhanger came about, but I can’t get too much into the reasons why without shoving spoilers at people. Suffice, I will walk into the third book with no small amount of trepidation.

    However, I understand this is my personal opinion and thus it doesn’t count for much beyond my preferences when I’m reading, so don’t let it deter you from reading the book.

    This book comes with a STRONG CONTENT WARNING for those of you with young adults who like to read. Admittedly, there were some conversations between the romantic characters that left me feeling awkward, but I am also a blushy-conservative-prude. Which, hey, my husband finds endearing and really he’s the only one who matters when it come to those sorts of conversations. I only mention it as a warning to those of you who might be like me. Reading is cool in that you can glaze over the spots that make you blush a lot.

    For the plot of the novel… There is quite a lot of it.

    I did enjoy this book, but it felt like we were keeping a breakneck pace and there just wasn’t enough room for Bryce and her companions to actually, truly, sit down and process everything that had happened in the first book. What made me fall in love with this author was the SECOND book of Court of Thorns and Roses series, when her main character had to sit down and actually deal with what she had done in the first novel. Trauma wasn’t just shouldered, it was confronted and eventually overcome. This wasn’t the case in House of Sky and Breath.

    Sure, we’re told that the two main characters cried on each others shoulders, but you don’t really get to feel it.

  • Book Review – Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

    Why yes, I picked up this book after binge-watching the Netflix adaptation. I’ll take stories however I can get them.

    I will note, however, that I do not often choose to check out the book after seeing the story in some other media format. This is because my TBR pile is ever growing and there are so many tales in the universe already, I will never get to experience them all.

    I will not explain how the book differs from the adaptation. That verges on SPOILER to me, and we all know I hate spoilers.

    What I will say is that the adaptation sticks very closely to the core of the novel. And that, while I am still hunting for certain characters to make their appearance in the novels, I thoroughly enjoyed both the book AND the Netflix series. I haven’t read through the last two books yet, so my review is for the first novel only – Shadow and Bone.

    This is a graceful novel, with neat, clean prose and a vividly imagined world. Descriptions aren’t too heavy, and I would say it is safe for younger readers. Some of the politics from the Netflix series haven’t reached me yet, so I am curious when they will arrive.

    As a side note, I fell in love more with Mal in the book than I did in the Netflix series. That’s probably because I have long been a Ben Barnes fan and wanted desperately to see his character rise from the dark of his past and overcome it. But, well, given he is literally bound to shadows, he will tragically remain in the dark.

    So, of course, after reading the book I watched the first season again and fell in love with Mal appropriately. Even if the Ben Barnes fan in me whimpered to let him go.

    If you enjoy fantasy, I highly recommend this book.

    And the Netflix series.

    Do both. I promise you won’t be disappointed.

  • Book Review – Uprooted by Naomi Novik

    Our family has been a fan of Ms. Novik since the dragon Temeraire chose William Laurence as his Captain, so I’m not sure why it took so long for me to start Uprooted. I will make a brief note that this book has a small section that is not terribly appropriate for younger readers, so reading this was a private affair instead of a shared experience.

    That’s just fine by me. I read faster on my own.

    I will say that I deeply enjoyed this novel. It is the first book that made me frustrated with my Kindle when the battery alarm dinged at me. And I suppose that’s one of the better arguments for physical books instead of the digital format, but I could also pick up right where I left off on my phone, so I did have a backup.

    Agnieszka and the Dragon were great fun to watch as they prickled at each other, and the threat of the Wood was terrifying. I don’t do spoilers, you’ll have to read the novel yourself, but the magic system and the political boundaries were all very well done without imposing a ton of information on the reader. I will say that there is a lot within this novel that is left unexplored and I would love to see more novels in future. (I don’t think the author is planning to do that presently, but insofar as my mind goes, she always has that option.)

    All in all, I closed the book satisfied and rate it 5 of 5 – with that warning again that younger readers likely shouldn’t thumb through it.

  • Book Review – Indexing by Seanan McGuire

    First of all, I loved the concept of this book. The idea that fairy tales are real and that magic is constantly trying to bring them about was entertaining to the extreme.

    At least for me it was. But I grew up loving Sleeping Beauty, so that’s no surprise.

    A word of warning: this is not for younger audiences.

    While I recognize that rough language is used everywhere and every day, I am also a parent and know that many wouldn’t want their 14-year-old kids reading a book with swear words in it.

    That being said, if you’re a fantasy lover like me, you would probably enjoy this novel. In fact, I’ve already found the second book in the series and intend to start reading it soon.

    I don’t do spoilers, so I am doing my best not to gush about my favorite parts. Suffice to say, I had to look up one or two fairy tales during the reading of this book because I hadn’t heard of them before.

    One thing the author did supremely well, was the villain. I had my suspicions about said villain early on, but with all the action and with the way the villain was presented in the beginning, I had mostly forgotten about them before the reveal.

    Well done, Ms. McGuire. Well done, indeed.

    If Urban Fantasy is a favored genre for you, then I recommend taking a look at Indexing. It was a great deal of fun and I look forward to reading more from this author.

    Side Note: While our names are similar, I can promise you that we are not the same people.

  • Finders KeepersI enjoyed the wit and the style Colchamro brings to the table in this highly entertaining novel and will be checking out the rest of the series. I should throw out there that this is not a novel suited for younger audiences, but adults who enjoy tongue-in-cheek humor would find it as enjoyable as I did.

    I was given this book in return for an honest review and confess that I had no idea what it was about. The plot took me by surprise, and the concepts of Eternity were amusing. The characters are relatable and believable, even if the content splashes around the irreverent side.

    OK, so the content dives right into irreverent and kicks around, it was still fun.

    Without giving any spoilers, – No spoilers. I hate spoilers. – I can say that the ending was satisfying and the narrative kept me engaged through the entire novel.

    I do want to give a strong content warning again. It’s not for the younger audiences and many people with a more stringent Biblical diet would probably not care for it. If none of these things apply to you, then the journey found in Finders Keepers will do exactly what it sets out to do … entertain.

    For fans of Douglas Adams, Christopher Moore, Tom Robins, Third Rock from the Sun, Groundhog Day, Hot Tub Time Machine, and Harold & Kumar go to White Castle.

     Finders Keepers (Finders Keepers #1) by Russ Colchamiro

     Traversing Europe, New Zealand, and the backbone of Eternity, Finders Keepers is a raunchy, sci-fi backpacking comedy that not only tackles friendship, sex, commitment, and desire, but also God, reincarnation–and what really happened to the dinosaurs!

    On a backpacking trip through Europe, Jason Medley and Theo Barnes stumble through hash bars and hangovers; religious zealots and stalkers; food poisoning and thunderstorms; cute girls; overnight trains; fever-pitch hallucinations–and the spectre of adult responsibility!

    But when a jar containing the Universe’s DNA falls from Eternity, these new friends find their loyalties put to the test . . . unaware that a motley crew from another realm is chasing them across the globe, with the fate of the Milky Way hanging in the balance.

    For fans of Terry Pratchett, Douglas Adams, Christopher Moore, Tom Robins, Third Rock from the Sun, Groundhog Day, Hot Tub Time Machine, and Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure.

    Finders Keepers is the first book in author Russ Cochamiro’s scifi comedy trilogy.

    Check out the Character Illustrations

    Goodreads * Amazon * Barnes & Noble

    Other Books in the Series:

    Genius de Milo (Finders Keepers #2)

    Astropalooza (Finders Keepers 3)

    		 About the Author

     Russ Colchamiro is the author of the rollicking space adventure, Crossline, the hilarious sci-fi backpacking comedy series, Finders Keepers, Genius de Milo, and Astropalooza, and is editor of the new anthology, Love, Murder & Mayhem, all with Crazy 8 Press.

    Russ lives in New Jersey with his wife, two children, and crazy dog, Simon, who may in fact be an alien himself. Russ has also contributed to several other anthologies, including Tales of the Crimson Keep, Pangaea, and Altered States of the Union, and TV Gods 2. He is now at work on a top-secret project, and a Finders Keepers spin-off.

    As a matter of full disclosure, readers should not be surprised if Russ spontaneously teleports in a blast of white light followed by screaming fluorescent color and the feeling of being sucked through a tornado. It’s just how he gets around — windier than the bus, for sure, but much quicker.

    Website * Facebook

    Twitter * Instagram

     

     

     

     

     

  • Book Review – On Writing by Stephen King

    Let me start this review off by saying that I do not often read Stephen King. I started The Stand a long time ago but my son was all of three years old at the time and the dead children disturbed me so much I couldn’t move forward with the book.

    I’m sure I could read it now, but at the time I wasn’t ready for that sort of reality. I needed to keep my happy bubble of pretend-safety around my little boy. (C’mon, now, as safe as we try to keep our kids we all know there’s only so much we can do.)

    While I haven’t read much of his work, I know who Mr. King is and have great respect for him. I’m not sure why it took me so long to pick this book up – it looks like it was written during my senior year of high school – but I’m pleased that I finally did.

    This book is freeing.

    Yes, he reminds us about some of the mechanics of writing such as the dreaded adverb or adverbial clause, but he only touches on these for a moment. But for the most part, Mr. King’s “memoir of the craft” feels like a commiseration.

    He proves that reading and writing are magic. And he invites authors to embrace that magic, reminding us why we enjoy this craft in the first place. I recommend this book to any and all writers out there who haven’t already picked it up. It’s a worthy read.

     

  • Book Review – Incantation by Annamaria Bazzi

    The beginning of this book was a little rough. I had a hard time understanding what was going on, which might have been done on purpose since the character didn’t know what was going on either. As a reader this was a trifle frustrating since I prefer to know just a little bit more than the character on the page. After having finished the book, however, I understood a bit better and can appreciate the way the beginning was crafted.

    I’m not one for giving spoilers so I’m having to refrain quite a bit on what I say here. The magic system was glossed over a bit, but given that the main character had no idea how to use magic it doesn’t detract from the story. After I got the hang of what was going on I really enjoyed the characters and the story being told. There was a moment near the end where I got very uncomfortable due to the general nastiness of the antagonist in the book, but the author managed to yank the story away from the precipice just in time. (Though that rescue did come via magic and the author risked Deus Ex Machina in that regard, but given that the whole story was based on wizards and magic it did make some sense.)

    But my favorite part was the end. I was more than satisfied with the way the story concluded and with that in mind would have to give this book four out of five stars. (Or whatever symbol floats your boat. On Goodreads and Amazon I’ll be using stars so I might as well carry that over here.)

    Book Blurb:

    Magic is an illusion. It doesn’t really exist. Or does it?

    A horrible car accident destroys Dolores Reynard’s life. But instead of waking up in a hospital bed, she awakens in a teenager’s body. Soon, she discovers she is at the heart of the murderous mystery surrounding the death of Mona, the young girl whose body she occupies. Caught between an evil greater than she ever imagined and a wizard who heals her tattered heart, she is forced to play a dangerous game of intrigue in the hopes of finding a way to return to her previous life.

    Will magic be her ally, or will it lead to her demise once and for all.

    Book Links:

    Amazon / smashwords / B&N

    ~ABOUT THE AUTHOR~

    Although born in the United States, Annamaria Bazzi spent a great deal of her childhood in Sicily, Italy, in a town called Sciacca. Italian was the language spoken at home. Therefore, she had no problems when she found herself growing up in a strange country. Upon returning to the states, she promised herself she would speak without an accent. She attended Wayne State University in Detroit Michigan, where she obtained her Bachelor of Science in Computers with a minor in Spanish.

    Annamaria spent twenty years programming systems for large corporations, creating innovative solution, and addressing customer problems. During those years, she raised four daughters and one husband. Annamaria lives in Richmond Virginia with her small family where she now dedicates a good part of her day writing.

    You can visit Annamaria at:

    blog http://annamariabazzi.com

    website http://www.annamariasbooks.com

    facebook page https://www.facebook.com/Author.annamariabazzi

    email annamariascorner@yahoo.com

    twitter https://twitter.com/AMBazzi

    goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6890526.Annamaria_Bazzi

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