Early Book Review: Nothing Special, Volume One Through the Elder Woods (A Graphic Novel) by Katie Cook
Book Review: Personal Demons (Magicsmith Universe/Rifter) by L. R. Braden
Book Review: That Time I Got Drunk and Yeeted a Love Potion at a Werewolf (Mead Mishap) by Kimberly Lemming
Book Review: That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon (Mead Mishap) by Kimberly Lemming
Early Book Review: Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands (Emily Wilde) by Heather Fawcett
Book Review: Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree
Book Review: The Witching Hour (Secrets of Camp Whatever) by Chris Grine
Book Review: Do Your Worst by Rosie Danan
Book Review: Enchanted to Meet You (Witches of West Harbor) by Meg Cabot
Early Book Review: School for Extraterrestrial Girls #2 Girls In Flight by Jeremy Whitley, Jamie Noguchi
School for Extraterrestrial Girls, Volume 2, Girls In Flight, written by Jeremy Whitley and illustrated by Jamie Noguchi, is a graphic novel currently scheduled for release on November 28 2023. The extraterrestrial girls are back! With their former school compromised, exposing Tara, Misako, Summer, and Kat, to possible danger from unknown alien forces, they all must relocate to a new hidden school--The School for Extraterrestrial Boys! Located on a hidden island in the arctic north, the new campus has a mysteriously warm summer climate, a beautiful lake, and dozens of sinister mysteries! The girls are staying in what appears to be summer cabins on the lake while going to school in the mysterious castle where the boys stay. This is all under the watchful eye of the boys' headmaster, Headmaster Stokes—an arrogant man with an unknown agenda and an obsession with Tara's people. They may still be in school, but this will be a semester full of blossoming romances, learning to love themselves, and trying to survive the mysteries of both this terrifying island and boys! Romance, magic, and near-death experiences are all part of a regular school day at the School for Extraterrestrial Girls.
Girls In Flight starts with a recap, which honestly I needed. I remembered enjoying the first volume of the story, but the details I was a bit hazy on. I was glad for the little catch up, which I think most readers will agree on. I was glad to read this next chapter of Tara and her circle's adventures and thought it was well planned out and executed. I thought the artwork was well matched to the story, and conveyed a great deal of emotion and action to make the story come alive. There were multiple story lines woven through each other, and it was neat to see threads that I had put to the back of my mind pop up and play an important roll in the story. My only complaint is one I often have with serials like this, and that is I was just feeling like I was deeply invested in the story and had a grasp on all the moving pieces when the volume ended. I am eager to get volume three in my hands.
Book Review: Tyranny of the Fey: Adventure Waits for No One. by Terry Bartley
Audiobook Review: Bookworm to Badass by Dustin Tigner, Narrated by Reba Buhr
Bookworm to Badass is an engaging and entertaining read. I cannot wait to see how this and the Wrong Divinity series come together, because I am sure they will (again).
Book Review: Otherworldly Izakaya Nobu (Volume 1) by Natsuya Semikawa, Virginia Nitouhei
Early Audiobook Review: After the Forest by Kell Woods, Narrated by Esther Wane
Audiobook Review: Wrong Divinity: Oh Sh*t! I F*cking Hate Spiders! by Dustin Tigner, Narrated by Qarie Marshall; Reba Buhr
Book Review: Grave Suspicions (Lavington Windsor Mysteries) by Alice James
Early Book Review: Bean The Stretchy Dragon: A Sally & Bean Adventure by Ari Stocrate
Book Review: Our Satyr Prince (Myth Shifters) by Dylan Drakes
Our Satyr Prince is a multilayered book that I both loved and sometimes dreaded. The characters were very well developed and the story was full of twists and turns. I felt for the major players, and was greatly effected by their struggles. Several times I could see the bad things coming, and wanted to warn the characters only to be heart broken and fearful of the future right along with them. This is an engaging and entertaining read. However, I also found it to be a very emotional read, and if you are not in the right head space for that I just might hit you hard. With all that out of the way, I have always been a big fan of mythology and I loved the take on the creation and powers of the mythological creatures here. It was well thought out, planned, and executed. I thought the world building and character development was well paced, and had me eager for more despite the emotional trauma. There is a good deal of sexual tension and interaction, as the blurb and all other promotions for this book state, so if you are not open to that (or looking for that) you might want to tread lightly.
Early Book Review: A Natural History of Magical Beasts by Emily Hawkins, Jessica Roux
Book Review: The Book Hunter by Alex Evans
The Book Hunter by Alex Evans is a 18000 words novella. Bored by a PhD on a mundane topic, Cassa takes on a side job: investigating the whereabouts of the Call to the Elders, a mythical grimoire, lost centuries ago. Despite her initial skepticism, she becomes increasingly intrigued by the challenge. Her investigation brings her to the ancient city of Gandarah, but other, more sinister individuals are after the book. Soon, tracked in the undergrounds of a city on the brink of a revolution, Cassa discovers the secret behind the Call to the Elders.
The Book Hunter is a short read, with a great deal going on. I liked the set up and the majority of the story. However, since it is a novella there is not a whole lot of room for world and character building, which I rather missed. I think I would have been happier if this was a longer book, with the connections and backgrounds of the characters more fully fleshed out and detailed. That being said, I think the author did a good job with the plot and main character in such a short time frame. I understood her thought process, motivation, and desire for knowledge. I will admit that I had to double check which characters were interacting on the page more than once, but I think that was a me problem with my attention span rather than a book issue. My biggest problem was just that I wanted more. I want more back story, more world building, more character building and connection. I knew I was not going to get that in a novella, so I will be on the look out for more from the author set in the same world where I might be able to get that itch scratched.