Briar Crawford

Six of Crows is by far now one of my favorite books. It is very fun and exciting, and the characters were very different from other current YA books out there. A major character, Kaz, walks with a limp, and the rest of the cast is very diverse. I wont spoil anything, but I really suggest reading this heist book.

Pros:
-Diverse Cast
-Great World Building
-Amazing Writing Style
-Characters Seem Real
-The story is exciting and fun.

Cons:
-Slightly cheesy romance(likely just me-I am not one for romance anyhow)

SMALL SPOILERS

-Slightly cheesy cliffhanger.

I had never read a book by Rick Riordan before, so I thought I would give his books a try when I saw this Norse mythology themed one.

This book was full of humour. From fart jokes to witty sarcasm, it has it all. The book also has action, unique characters, and a hilarious modern take on Norse mythology.

I suppose the only reason why this book didn't get full ratings from me is that it seemed to be missing a needed moment of pause for more character building. I understand this was a race against time, but I wish that there was just a tiny bit more character-to-character dialogue that didn't include talking about backstory. This is likely just a personal thing, but I would have liked to have seen a little more friendship building through dialogue.

I also wish Magnus showed a little bit more weakness since he was a little on the perfect side.

spoiler below
Since at the start of the book he cringed every time he even saw a fake wolf, I would have liked to have felt that fear more in the final fight. Perhaps him frozen with fear for a few moments.

All in all, though, it was still a very fun read and I am glad I picked it up.

Pros:
-Funny
-Interesting characters
-Norse Mythology
-Interesting plot
-It was a fun read


Cons:
-Too perfect of a MC
-Slightly too little character building

Cassandra Cain is unique in several ways; she not only starts off completely mute, but also illiterate. This does not stop her from kicking butt, though.

She has a great father-daughter relationship with batman, and an almost mother-daughter one with Oracle.

She is by far my favourite Batgirl, but this fell one star short because of the storytelling being so choppy. This book is a compilation of all the comics, and it seems like all the comics were written so that if you missed one, it would not matter much. This might just be me, but I like a longer storyline.

Sarah Natale sent me her book for free in exchange for an honest review, so I can completely promise you what you are about to read is my honest thoughts.

The Kiss of Death is a 48 page educational book which follows a well off girl in the time of the bubonic plague. Through Elizabeth, readers will learn about what it was like living through the plague, and also what it was like living in these times before it.

As the plague gets worse, Elizabeth is locked up in a plague house with her family. She knows she must do what she can to escape in order to survive, and to get back to the boy she loves.

I rated this 4 out of 5 stars on Goodreads, because although I though this would be a great read for schools, I personally though it could use some more emotional descriptions. There was a lot of telling, but not enough showing. I would have liked to feel more in depth what Elizabeth was feeling; particularly with certain deaths. It was still a good book, though, which is why I only left out that one star.

There is religious mention in this book, but in all honesty, it is necessary. The church played a massive part in the lives of people in medieval times. the church even told people what food they could eat and when they could eat it; so I really don't think you can teach about medieval times without mentioning the church. Even so, I think Sarah Natale was able to weave it into the story in a way that non religious or people of a different religion should be able to read without feeling uncomfortable. I personally am not religious, and found it fine.

Anyways, I recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about both the plague and medieval times. I particularly recommend this as a potential read to teachers or homeschooling parents. There are even brainstorming questions at the back.

Before I go, I just have to say Sarah Natale is young, this was her debut book, and it was surprisingly good. Sarah is for sure an author to keep an eye on because she might just end up as the next big author.

So, let me get one thing clear, many people will absolutely love this book. The characters are interesting, the dialogue was fun, and the world-building had so many details it seemed real.

So, what's the problem? A personal preference, really. I rarely like flashbacks, and on average every other chapter of this book was a flashback. I sometimes like brief glances into the past, but it is always the main plot that keeps me going. A few times the flashbacks broke the feel of the story for me. Someone's life was at risk, and it was like someone stopped to think “remember when....” and killed the anticipation for me.

I think it was a great book for someone out there, but not for me.

PROS:
-World building
-Interesting characters
-Fun dialogue
-Good story
-Great story of friendship bonds
-No random romance plots

CONS
-Flashbacks. So many flashbacks.
-The author really seems to dislike sharks..?

If you are craving a classic style action book, than this is the book for you!

Now, let me say, if you want a tragic novel that puts Game of Thrones to shame, than choose another book, because this book is intended to be fun and action-packed. Yes, I will admit that this novel has certain cheesy moments, but in my opinion, it actually added to the story. Picture classics like Jurassic Park and The Mummy; mixing comedy with action, and that is where this book sits.

Steelheart seamlessly mixes action and humour in a way that makes it read like a movie, and I must say, some of the past reviewers were complaining about flat characters, but I saw no such problem. Megan, on of the main characters, was constantly reminding me of Black Widow(Avengers), and the main character? He was a positive go-getter with a great sense of humour. In fact, I saw all the characters clear as day, so I am not sure what the problem is for other people.

All in all, I thought it was a fun and thrilling read that deserves a spot on my bookshelf.

Pros:
-No random romance
-Interesting concept and monsters
-Interesting characters. Even the side characters had distinct personalities and appearances.
-Interesting world

Cons:
NOTE: These cons are just my own personal opinion. Most people will likely disagree with me, so please don't let my thoughts sway you from reading this book.

-I feel like there was a missed chance to include August's friends later in the book.
-I didn't like Kate for a lot of the book. She seemed like a bully having a temper tantrum with some of her actions. Later, though, she got more likeable for me.
-The opening did not hook me in.
-Predictable plot twists

NOTE: What I've written below are just my opinions. Please do not let me sway you from reading this book. I gave it three stars simply out of my own feelings, so your own experience with this book might be different(I am notoriously picky).

Pros:
-The world building
-Interesting characters
-THE WORLD BUILDING!
-Fascinating mythology
-Interesting plot

Cons:
-Ceda had five (or more?) men in love with her or crushing on her at some point.
-Sex. I thought the sex scenes were unnecessary, but others might like them.
-There were a few parts where the results of the mystery were pretty obvious, and it dragged on a bit waiting for Ceda to catch on as we were dumped with myths or flashbacks.

Warnings:
-Sex
-Violence

Book Basics:
Third person limited point-of-view, female MC, adult grim-dark fantasy, large cast of characters

Book Trigger Warnings:
Self harm, sexual assault(described by another character), graphic violence and gore(including children and babies), drug use, abuse, toxic relationships

Non-Spoiler Review:
Three stars from my rating system means “it's ok.” If I could, I would rate it 3.5 . When I was about half way into this book, I was positive this was going to be a solid five stars, then it slowly dropped two stars as the story went on.

This book does not hold back on the horrors of war, though that is not why it dropped in stars for me. For me, the narration became a bit repetitive and did a lot of telling rather than showing. This includes the fight scenes which lacked detail to my preference.

I think it is VERY important for people picking this up to know that this is not a story about an anti-hero, or even a morally good hero. It is a story about how war (and toxic relationships) can twist people. For me personally, her emotions felt a little all over the place after about half way in the book. One moment she's happy, a line later she's crying her eyes out only to be ok another line later. One moment she hates a character, the next she's fawning over them. Sometimes how she feels about a side character is so vague, it's hard to tell if she hates or likes any of them.

I will agree that the writer is talented, well-read in history(its very much based on real-world history) and mythology, and writes a unique story that most people will love.

I will be reading the next book